Everybody Says I Love You
by Mia Fitzpatrick
Summary: AU: Recca loves Yanagi, Yanagi is oblivious, Tokiya is an arrogant ass, Fuuko is violent, Domon just wants attention and Kurei wants to take over the world. ToFuu, RecYan Full summary inside
1. You Shook Me

**Disclaimer:** FoR is not mine. "You Shook Me" is by Led Zeppelin.

**Full Summary:** The Hokage family of ninjas are considered royalty of the highest orders. The one next in line to the title of Leader and lone flamecaster Recca has forever been in love with the shy healer Yanagi but she was promised to someone else even before she was born. His best friend/army leader Fuuko thinks he's crazy but still finds ways to get them together. Yanagi's fiancée. Tokiya thinks the world of the girl, but somehow he finds himself searching for the company of a violent purple haired soldier all the time. Domon just wants someone to notice him. And in the midst of this love square plus one the bastard child of the current leader, Kurei, is hellbent on taking what he thinks is rightfully his.

**Author's Notes:** Here it is guys, my third story. Hope you end up liking this one as my previous others. I liked writing them chibi.

**Prologue: You Shook Me**

Tokiya Mikagami never liked meeting new people. It always felt awkward and he never knew what to do with his hands. He wished his parents would understand that he was quite content just staying at home and playing scrabble with his big sister. He thought she was all the friend he needed. He didn't need any new people to make him feel awkward and unable to decide where to put his hands.

And so he walked with a scowl on his face to show his mother and father just how upset he was that they were now in a car on their way to meet some new people.

He looked up at his father, whose gray eyes crinkled behind clear glasses, as he spoke into his phone's receiver. He had a serious look on his face as he switched between talking to the person on the other end and giving directions to their family driver. His mother sat to his right, busily primping herself and paying no attention to him whatsoever. They had said that they were to meet some very important people and he would do well to behave himself.

Tokiya looked outside the window and watched the strange town with poorly disguised awe in his eyes. He and his family had lived in the mountains all his life in a huge house surrounded with many trees, and it was very different from this place that had brick pavements and no shade. He was told that they would be heading to Nashikiri. He'd read about it in one of his sister's books and looked it up on the internet once. It was a very rich place with very rich people. But what interested him most was that it was the hometown of the infamous Hokage ninjas. He remembered some of the other kids at his school talk about Ouka Hanabishi, current leader and lone flame caster of Hokage. He was supposed to be a large and intimidating man that could kill a battalion with one swing of his hand. He really wished his parents were here to meet him.

The car pulled to a stop and Tokiya was rudely awakened from his daydream of him and Ouka Hanabishi battling some monsters. His mother put her compact back in her bag and turned to him with a sweet smile on her face. "We're here Tokiya-chan. Now remember, you have to be on your best behavior. The Sakoshitas are very good friends of your father and we want to make a good impression."

Tokiya frowned but nodded anyway.

His mother gracefully got out of the car as soon as his father opened it for her and he followed with a bit of fumble. Tokiya looked up at the intimidating house. It looked monstrous for his innocent eyes and he took hold of his mother's hand afraid he might get lost if she weren't beside him. They walked up the marble steps and a man in a blue uniform opened the doors for them. They were met with the glaring chandelier light and yet another man in a blue uniform swiftly instructed them to follow him to the parlor.

Tokiya's mother tugged his hand as his eyes wandered through the cream walls and marble sculptures. They entered another room that had blue walls and lavish curtains.

"Ichigo! It has been a long time my friend!" His father's commanding voice made him whip his head so fast he heard a snap in his neck. That's when he first saw her, a young girl in a yellow puffy dress with brown hair neatly combed to the side and brown eyes the exact shape and shade as his sister's. And since he thought his sister was the most beautiful girl in the world, he thought this girl came as a very close second.

The world dissolved away as he kept staring at the girl who now had a pretty blush on her already rosy cheeks.

"I see that Tokiya-chan already approves of this engagement!" The unfamiliar voice came from the man standing to the girl's left. He had kind eyes and looked at Tokiya approvingly.

"Engagement?" his little voice asked.

"This is why we're here, Tokiya-chan. Meet your future wife, Sakoshita Yanagi," Mrs. Mikagami said as she gave the boy a little shove forward.

The girl, Yanagi, bowed politely and held out her hand. "It is very nice to meet you Tokiya-chan."

Tokiya looked at her hand nervously, he couldn't explain the sudden apprehension and the rumbling of his stomach. He slowly lifted his hand and he was but a millimeter away from touching hers when...

"Get back here you twerp!"

A ball of black blur swooshed between Tokiya and Yanagi's hands followed by a shuriken that flew right under Tokiya's nose.

"Try and catch me bitch!"

The black blur turned out to be a boy about Tokiya's age, wearing a ninja outfit that looked ridiculous on him. Tokiya expected another boy had thrown the shuriken rather expertly but was stunned to see a girl with long purple hair, flowing down her back in waves, wearing a wife beater and denim shorts. He hated to admit it, but she looked really scary, standing with a hand on her hip and a kunai in between her fingers.

"How'd you children get in here?!" Tokiya looked up at the woman whom he assumed was Yanagi's mother. She had a disgusted look on her face as she watched the purple haired killing machine try to attack the ninja yet again. The other boy smacked her in the nose before hiding behind Tokiya's future wife.

"Yanagi-chan, save me!" he said familiarly.

"Face me like a man!"

"Fuuko-chan, act like a lady, there are company present," Mrs. Sakoshita admonished.

"I ain't no lady, lady," she answered rudely. Mrs. Sakoshita looked at her sternly. "I mean Aunt Jun."

"Didn't I tell you to confine your...training, upstairs?" Mr. Sakoshita said with a little amusement in his voice as he talked to the two interrupters.

"It was Recca's fault!" Fuuko said, pointing at the young boy who still hid behind Yanagi.

"Well it isn't fair, why can't we join your dinner party?" The young boy, Recca said with a pout.

"Because these are family matters," Mrs. Sakoshita said snootily, not hiding her absolute displeasure at the twosome's presence.

"Well, Jun, I'm sure we can fit two more at the dinner table. I'm sure they will behave, right?" Mr. Sakoshita said.

"Whatever, dinner parties are stupid," Fuuko muttered under her breath and squealed when Mrs. Sakoshita pinched her side.

"Holy me, I'm being rude. Let me introduce you to these little ruffians," Mr. Sakoshita said in an attempt to stop his wife from wringing Fuuko's neck, "This is Fuuko, daughter of Hokage's most acclaimed general Fujimaro Kirisawa, and Recca Hanabishi, son of Ouka Hanabishi, I'm sure you've heard of him."

Tokiya's mother, who had always been shamelessly fond of famous people immediately fawned over the two as if she wasn't looking at them with disdain just minutes ago. Tokiya wasn't impressed like his mother, Ouka Hanabishi was supposed to be this great infallible leader in his head, and this was his son? "He can't be the son of Ouka Hanabishi! He looks like a seamonkey!" he said before he could restrain himself.

Before Recca could retaliate, Tokiya felt a forceful hand on his neck and he couldn't stop the force of gravity as he tumbled flat on his back on the hard ground. Fuuko sat squarely on his stomach, one hand still on his throat and another fisted and ready to sock him. "Hey! I'm the only one who gets to call that oaf over there names!"

"Get off me, monkey!" he rasped as he struggled underneath her weight, his hands trying to take control of her painful grip on his neck.

"That is it, Fuuko, up to your room! Your father will hear of this when he gets back from his trip! No dinner party for you!" Mrs. Sakoshita yelled as she pulled the girl by the back of her shirt.

"Fine, like I want to have dinner with a pretty boy who doesn't know how to defend himself, come on Recca, let's go train," she said surely and gestured for her friend to follow her.

Recca looked sheepishly at Yanagi. "I'm sorry, Yanagi-chan, I didn't want to ruin your dinner party."

"It's alright Recca-kun," she said as she offered him a shy smile that made the ninja blush.

"I am sorry about that, that young girl acts so callously. She has no mother and grew up with only her father and her brothers, I've been trying to teach her some manners but that father of hers insists on encouraging her outrageous dreams of following in his footsteps. My dear sister would turn in her grave if she found out just how uncouth her daughter grew up to be..." Tokiya tuned out Mrs. Sakoshita's voice as she continued to explain (rather malign) Fuuko's unladylike behavior to his parents.

Instead he looked on at the girl he had just seen. She hadn't even bothered to find out his name and he felt slightly insulted by that. But what struck him the most was that when she jumped on him, he knew exactly what to do with his hands.

_**To be continued...**_

_**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**_

_**Next chapter: Six years later...**_


	2. Immigrant Song

**Disclaimer: **Flame of Recca and its characters are not mine. "Immigrant Song" is once again by Led Zeppelin.

**Author's Notes: **Here it is. I've set up most of the relationships and the plot in this chapter (I think) and hope it is to your liking. I dabbled a bit in action sequence, don't think I did too well and will try to get in more practice in the next chapters. General note, I confused a couple of people with the hands thing, I think. Some got it, but it was supposed to be a a bookend sentiment, read the first and last sentences, hee. I think I also failed to indicate their ages, I'll just say it now, Tokiya was twelve and Fuuko, Recca and Yanagi were eleven.**  
**

**Thank yous: **Thanks again to those who reviewed, mwah! **Eirist **(first review, yay! And yes, it's also a lot more fun for me to write them as teenagers. The teenage zeitgeist has been overplayed but I can never get tired of it) **mikaro **(Ah, read the note at the top. Hee, I thought that was cute too) **JapanLi **(Thank you, and I'm glad you got that part. Hope you like this chapter) **Satomika **(You have a naughty mind! That was supposed to be innocent, hehe) **loujane14 **(Ahaha, it's been a while girly! Yes, I did that on purpose. It's a completely alternate universe) **ohchan** (writing them chibi was very fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it!) **lyris** (Thanks, oh and I received a Y!M from you and I sort of messed it up cause I signed in from my phone, mind PM-ing me about it again? I think it had something to do with a request:)) **justxsleep **(Thank you, and thank you also about your comment regarding my two other fics. Hope you enjoy this as much as the others) **asga **(Thanks! Enjoy!) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (Thanks! And read the note up there :)) **Nils** (I wanted to try something different and hopefully you guys will enjoy it too!) **abubi-chan **(ToFuu definitely. There'll be a lot of focus on things other than the pairing, but of course ToFuu will always be number one in my heart!) **aki reinhart** (Happy to be your source of ToFuu crack. I hope you will have a lot of fun reading it!) **khay **(Yes it is! Thanks girly, now update your fic :p) **Suryasree **(Thanks! Glad you liked it!) **winoa fuuko huel 13 **(whew, that was a mouthful. And thank you! Hope you'll enjoy this update :) As for the delays, hopefully I can stick to my one chapter a week.) **yanagi-chyan **(GURL! THANK YOU! And now I feel guilty because I haven't been reviewing! I'll catch up! And I'll be PM-ing you about something soon-ish. And yes, OMG, I didn't realize the name until I've already published it and it was too late to change it! Heh. But I'll work it into a joke somehow.) **SnowCharms** (They do! Although I have more plans for Aunt Jun in the future, I don't want her to be a cardboard cutout villain, just trust me on this :)) **shalei** (Aw, thanks! And the hands thing is explained in the author's notes.)

**Chapter One: Immigrant Song**

Fuuko Kirisawa quickly tiptoed across the courtyard of Nashikiri High, intent on keeping her presence unbeknown to her best friend, Recca Hanabishi, at least until she'd managed to give him a noogie. Not that she needed much effort in her stealth, the boy was completely oblivious of anyone else other than the brown haired beauty currently walking up the school steps. Fuuko shook her head and smirked, her best friend was hopeless.

"Guess who?" she whispered naughtily as she closed two hands over his eyes.

"Fuuko, I can smell your stench from a mile back," the boy answered with a smirk, "Now get your hands off my eyes before Yanagi disappears."

Fuuko growled and elbowed his side. "I do not smell, jackass." She turned and watched the girl he'd been salivating over for the last five minutes. "Just tell her you like her, this admiring from afar shit is really getting boring." She took out her class schedule from her book bag as she waited for his usual reply.

Recca shrugged and answered, never taking his eyes away from the girl as she stopped to say hello to some of the cheerleaders. "Nah, it's not like I have a chance with her anyway."

Recca's eyes narrowed as he watched a boy, with long silver hair neatly braided on one side, wearing the same uniform as his although much more polished, walk familiarly towards the girl of his dreams and put a hand on her lower back. "Who's that?"

Fuuko looked up from her class schedule. "Oh that. That would be Tokiya Mikagami, Yanagi's betrothed. He just moved here yesterday. We had him over for dinner last night. He was so polite, it was irritating. They actually make a good pair--" Fuuko paused as she remembered who she was talking to, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Recca said, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white, "I knew she was off limits from the start."

"You could actually order them to break the engagement, Aunt Jun would jump at the chance of having her daughter marry into royalty," Fuuko said with a sneer. She hated her Aunt with a passion.

"She wouldn't want that...I don't want her to be forced into anything," Recca said with a small voice.

"Like she isn't now?" Fuuko asked rhetorically.

"Just shut up, Fuuko," he snapped.

Recca thought Fuuko was a great friend but the girl couldn't possibly understand his plight. He was in love with Yanagi, it wasn't a passing fancy or an effect of boyish hormones. He was in love with her and all he wanted was for Yanagi to be happy, and he was certain that her happiness would not lie with him and his complicated life.

"Whatever," Fuuko said with a roll of her eyes, "Here she comes now, try not to look like you've been picturing her naked all this time."

Recca choked on his saliva.

"Fuuko-chan," Yanagi greeted amiably, "Recca-kun. First day of school, are you excited?"

"Immensely," Fuuko deadpanned. Recca meanwhile busied himself with unsuccessfully hiding his blush.

"Er, well, Fuuko, you have met Tokiya-kun?" Yanagi motioned at the man who stood closely by her and was staring at Fuuko as if she were a lab experiment.

"Yeah, so I guess we're going to be sharing classes," Fuuko answered unenthusiastically.

"Are you a senior as well?" Tokiya asked stiffly.

Yanagi decided to answer for her when it appeared her cousin couldn't be bothered. "Well, Fuuko-chan is a junior like myself but she's taking senior classes this year in preparation for her early admission into Nashikiri Military Academy next year. She's really quite impressive."

Fuuko had to smile at the sincerity of her cousin's words. They had never been close, despite Fuuko practically growing up with her since her father was always away. Their personalities were vastly different but while they're rarely together during their own good times, they were always there for each other during their bad times.

"Quite so," Tokiya agreed. Fuuko wondered for a moment if his uniform was made of stainless steel since he seemed so uptight.

An awkward silence befell the group of teenagers. Fuuko sighed, Recca turned red, Yanagi bit her lips and Tokiya...well he appeared unaffected and kept staring.

"So anyway, Recca and I have to run. We have Sayuki for homeroom, you know how he is," Fuuko blurted out suddenly and proceeded to drag her friend across the courtyard, short skirt flapping in the wind.

"He is so weird," Fuuko whispered to Recca as soon as they were out of earshot.

Recca turned back to look at the pair they'd left in a hurry. They were already on their way to the other side of the school, Yanagi was probably taking Tokiya to the registrar's office.

"Who? That Mikagami guy?" he asked.

Fuuko nodded. "He's too, I don't know, proper."

Recca sniggered. "Nah, you're just not used to guys who have no interest in either groping you or beating the shit out of you."

She socked the side of his head with finesse. "It's not that."

He rubbed the abused spot and winced at her. "Eh, whatever. Anyway, want to skip first period?"

"We've known each other since we were two, when have I ever said yes to that question?" she asked him wearily.

"I don't get why you're so anal about school," Recca answered, "and anyway, it's first day, nothing ever happens on the first day. It's always some introductory shit, like we weren't the same exact group of people last year."

She paused as Recca leaned against a pillar once they've approached the hallway leading to the stairs. "Because they do give out important information on the first day, so you won't get lost on the second, idiot. Beside, you know my Dad won't let me apply for NMA if my GPA isn't above 90. After all, brawn without brains and you might as well be--"

"Hey guys!" A bulking mass of muscles careened down the stone walkway, his blue uniform in array, dirty blue Chucks, gold hoop earring on his left ear and a skull bandanna wrapped around his head.

Fuuko smirked at Recca. "I rest my case," she then turned to the newcomer, "Hey Domon."

"Hey baby girl," he leered at her.

She decided to kick his groin in reply. "I told you not to call me that."

"But baby girl--" that earned Domon a kick to his shin.

"God, you're like that dumb guinea pig that keeps getting electrocuted. Do not touch the fucking cheese man!" she yelled in an exasperated manner.

Recca had a good laugh as he watched the two exchange their version pleasantries. "Yo Domon, you wanna skip first period?"

"Stupid punk, let's skip until lunch," Domon answered with a stupid grin on his face.

Fuuko rolled her eyes at her two friends. "Whatever, I'm gone."

Recca grabbed her wrist before she could fully turn away. "You want me to bring you anything back?"

"Double patty cheeseburger and milkshake," she said with a grin. She reached for her pocket to bring out some cash but Recca stopped her.

"You know I never let you pay for anything," he said. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I'll see you later."

Fuuko nodded and spied from the corner of her eye Domon moving forward to do the same thing. She whipped out a swiss knife before he could even mutter 'Baby girl' "Just try it."

"Wasn't even thinking it," Domon quickly said as he raised his palms in surrender.

...

It took great effort on Tokiya's part not to turn his head and look backwards as Yanagi's gentle hand guided him to the other side of the school building. It was clear that she, that girl with the purple hair, didn't remember him. Not at all. It shouldn't be too surprising, they've only met for five minutes when he was but twelve years old and it isn't likely that such a short memory would survive years of her apparently eventful life, what being the daughter of a great general and herself an aspiring military prodigy. It just felt unfair that he remembered her so clearly. She had cut off the lush purple hair, keeping a short sensible bob that ended right under her ear, but her face had remained the same, and her eyes, they were still intimidating and caused a shiver to run up his spine.

He shook his head to will away his thoughts. It was improper to think such things of a girl when the woman you are bound to marry was clinging to your arm. Not that he held any sort of interest in her, he convinced himself. It was just curiosity. Something that could be attributed to his sheltered upbringing. He'd been surrounded by women who dressed beautifully and crossed their legs when they sat, he was not accustomed to women like Fuuko. He was sure that once he had met several females of her...type, that this fancy would whither away. Or so he hoped.

"We are here, Tokiya-kun," the soft spoken Yanagi whispered into his thoughts.

Tokiya nodded and looked up the kanji signs that marked the registrar's office. "I can manage from hereon Yanagi-san. You should get to your class. I wouldn't want you to be late on my account."

"Are you certain?" she asked timidly.

He nodded, feeling rather excited over her concern and attention. He was a lucky man to be promised to such a beautiful and kind girl. Although the fact that she might as well be his Mifuyu's, his older sister, twin was rather unsettling. But he supposed he will get used to it.

She bestowed him an innocent smile. "Then I will meet with you at lunch? If you don't mind, I usually sit with my friends from the cheerleading team. You have met them earlier?"

He nodded, remembering the squealing girls with a bit of regret. "You do not sit with your cousin?" He wanted to kick himself once the words tumbled out. Why was he so interested to find that out?

Yanagi didn't appear to suspect anything, it was perhaps naivete or she was just naturally trusting of people. "Fuuko and I move around different circles," she said without a hint of malice.

"But she lives with you?" he asked, remembering his slight shock last night when he saw her at the dinner table.

"She just stays with us when her father and brothers are away. All of them are in the military and travel a lot," she explained.

"I see," Tokiya answered with a bit of a frown.

"I'll be off then, Tokiya-kun. Call me if you need anything," she said with a smile and a small wave as she walked away.

"I will," he promised before turning towards the door and moving in.

...

Fuuko was wont to admit it but Recca was right. Her first period was filled with introductory claptrap. But she remained steadfast in her decision not to skip school. Ever since she had stepped into her first class in kindergarten, she had never been tardy nor absent and she had but one school year and summer school left before NMA, she wasn't about to break her record.

She turned on her iPod and switched to an upbeat tune, her legs subconsciously walking with the beat of the drum as she walked towards her next class. She was about to turn the corner when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around to face the last person she'd thought to approach her. Her cousin's fiancée.

Fuuko watched several moments as his mouth moved yet no sound came out. She stared at him blankly before an impatient look crossed his face and ripped the headphones lodged in her ears.

"Can you hear me now?" he said with a hint of sarcasm. His voice was deep and...handsome. It was a strange way to describe someone's voice but Fuuko couldn't help but think that his voice would be the type of voice a dashing prince would have.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," she apologized insincerely.

"Well, Kirisawa-san, right? I was hoping you could help me," he said without embarrassment, "I'm a bit lost and those girls over there weren't at all helpful with directions." He nodded his head to a group of sophomores standing against their lockers who continued to giggle his way.

Fuuko couldn't help her smirk. "You better get used to it, you have the makings of a heartthrob."

Tokiya blushed at her naked assessment and decided it best to ignore it. "Anyhow, I have gym next, but it appears this school takes physical education very seriously, so I'm not sure which of eight gym rooms am I supposed to be heading."

"Mikagami-san, you do realize this is Nashikiri, home of the Hokage ninjas. Most of us here only go to school so that we can eventually get into the military, of course we take physical education seriously," she said joshingly, "what do you have anyway?"

"Advanced Weapons Training," he said.

"Really? What do you specialize in?" she asked with a bit of awe, she didn't picture him to be the type to handle a weapon.

"Swords. I studied under Meguri Kyoza back in my old home," he said proudly.

"That muse mean you own a Madogu. From his reputation, I doubt Kyoza-sama would waste his time with someone who simply wields an aluminum stick," she assessed realistically.

He nodded. It figured that she would be familiar with his master. "My family's legacy is the Ensui."

Fuuko's eyes widened. "Woah, I would like to see that some time. My Dad says it's an amazing sword...you must be really good if you're using the Ensui."

"Of course." Well, he was. "Do you mind telling me now where the class is?"

"I'm on my way there actually," she said, "We can walk together, I suppose."

"You're in the same class?" he asked.

She nodded. "And I suppose you also have an extra course for psychic devices?"

"Two actually, theory and practical," he answered.

"Wow, it seems we're going to be sharing a lot of classes, future cousin-in-law," she said with a smirk. That didn't sit too well with Tokiya.

"What's your Madogu?" he asked as the meaning of her words finally seeped in.

"Fuujin," she answered readily.

Tokiya couldn't help the awed look on his face. He had known the Fuujin to be one of the most powerful psychic devices, he had no idea that it had fallen into the hands of this slip of a girl with intimidating eyes.

"Perhaps," he began carefully, unsure if his words would seem appropriate, "I could demonstrate to you the secrets of Ensui, if you would show me some of Fuujin's moves?"

If he had been a little more worldly then he would have questioned the meaning of his invitation and if she had thought of men beyond playmates and sparring partners then she would have second guessed her answer. But he was an eighteen year old socially inept boy who was home schooled for most of his life and she was seventeen year old girl who learned how to throw a shuriken at three and started mastering her Fuujin at six. Both very skilled yet very innocent when it comes to the dynamics of men and women. And so he asked his question and so she gave her answer.

"Sure."

...

Fuuko and Tokiya didn't speak a word to each other for the entirety of the two hour long gym class, except for that one time she ran out of ink and asked him for a spare pen. She had wordlessly invited him to sit beside her on the bench. He had accepted as it would be easier to take on a reluctant invitation than to look for a place in the sea of strangers.

Their sensei drolled on about his rules and his expectations, never going out of breath for a full thirty minutes, before deciding that there wasn't much left to say and the class might as well go their own way since there was nothing to do.

At that moment Fuuko felt her phone vibrate in the pockets of her skirt. She pulled it out and read the text message from Recca telling her that they were back in the campus and would wait for her at their usual hangout; the water tank at the rooftop of the school.

Fuuko turned to Tokiya who looked at her expectantly. She had never been to a new school and even in kindergarten she knew all of her classmates before classes begun and so she couldn't understand the feeling of being lost in a very new and very strange world, but she didn't think she owed him anything. He had Yanagi and she should be enough of an anchor to hold on to.

"Well, I'm off," she said awkwardly, "I assume you'll be meeting Yanagi for lunch?"

He just nodded, looking slightly disappointed that she would be leaving him to his own devices. "I'll just wait for her, I suppose. She should still be in class."

"Well, you can wait in the library, they have interesting material regarding the history of Madogus," she suggested. Sure she found it interesting that he wielded Ensui, but she wasn't about to invite him to join her and her friends. He didn't seem like he would fit in.

"I'll do that," he acquiesced as he stood up and fixed his book bag on his shoulder.

Fuuko was about to get up when a hand was thrust into her face. She looked at it strangely for a couple of seconds before remembering those etiquette lessons her Aunt had forced upon her. With elephantine grace, she placed her hand in his and let him help her off the bench. She didn't see the point in it, she could very well get off the bench on her own but she couldn't help but marvel at his unsolicited offer, because for once in her life, someone treated her like a lady.

...

Fuuko slammed the heavy metal door open and was greeted with the sight of Domon and Recca throwing a football back and forth. Just as Domon threw the ball back to Recca, Fuuko swiftly run up between them and intercepted it with ease.

"Lame throw," she said as she flipped the football in one hand and put her bag down near the water tank.

"So how was class?" Recca asked as he moved to steal the ball from Fuuko.

She easily dodged his hand and swung around to face away from him. "Boring. Where's my burger?"

"Check the bag," Domon answered. Fuuko looked to where Domon and Recca's bags were lying and right between it was a semi opaque plastic bag that had a red and yellow logo. Fuuko handed the ball to Recca and went to her prize. She sat Indian style and leaned her back against one of the water tank's stands as she bit into her burger with gusto.

Recca took his place on her left and Domon went to her right. "You want to come over later? Dad and Raiha said they were going to help me train with my dragons."

Recca had discovered when he was thirteen that his flames weren't simple like his father's. Ouka Hanabishi couldn't contain his pride to find out that his son had inherited the legendary Flame Dragons that had only been known to occur four centuries back. He thought it was proof that his only son was to be the greatest flame caster in the history of Hokage ninjas. Of course it was a bit of a drawback that the Dragons appear to have their own personalities and were very stubborn but Ouka was determined to help his son tame them. In the last four years, Recca, with the help of his father and his right hand man Raiha, had gotten control of three of seven; Saiha (only because he finally took pity on Recca after the boy was pathetically bitch slapped by one of the other flame dragons), Rui (who was Recca's favorite due to her habit of materializing in front of him nude) and Nadare (who was impressed with the young boy's resilience.)

Fuuko nodded appreciatively. "Anything to escape Aunt Jun and her madness."

Recca snickered. "She still on to you about the Débutante's Ball next month?"

She shook her head slightly. "Nah, she didn't ask anymore, I guess she figured it would be useless. It's just all these tweetering débutantes are always over their house for rehearsal. And of course it's all she ever talks about during dinner, she keeps fussing about Yanagi's dress and that she flew it in from Paris or something."

Recca let a fond smile form on his face. "Bet she'd look really pretty in it."

Domon groaned before Fuuko could react. "Dude, can you stop being so gay about your crush on her?"

Fuuko chortled and Recca scowled at his two friends. "Fuck you both."

"We're your friends and all, but it's like you turn into this really bad Lionel Richie music video when you talk about her and it's...vomit inducing," she teased.

"You just don't get it," the flame caster sulked.

"Yeah, yeah, you're in love," Fuuko said before being reduced into a heap of giggles with Domon. Domon giggling was not a pretty sight.

"I can't wait to laugh in your face when you finally fall in love," Recca said but was merely ignored in favor of another round laughter.

...

Recca wiped the sweat dripping down his chin as he somersaulted backwards, away from the bomb of fireballs he delivered with Nadare. He watched the mushroom cloud dissipate and waited impatiently for the shadow of his opponent to appear.

"You still alive bitch?" he yelled arrogantly.

Fuuko coughed and spluttered from the smoke and dust but managed to stand shakily even with the pain of her bruised knees.

"Like that lame attack can bring me down," she returned, her voice quivering, obviously out of breath. She suddenly flipped backwards, narrowly missing the fireballs that followed her path. She hated to admit it but Recca had always been superior to her physically, she had never been able to beat him no matter how much she trained. He was preternaturally gifted.

She twisted around and and swung her left arm upwards, sending a sharp attack of whirlwind towards Recca. He curled his body inwards, placing his arms across his face to block most of her attack but the slashes of blood on his arms told her that it was futile. Just when she thought she had the upper hand, Recca's fetal form disappeared in front of her eyes. It was too late when she realized what had happened.

"Damn it, he used Rui," she cursed.

"Not quick enough," a male chuckle came from behind her, heat from both body and flame wrapped around her as she felt Saiha's hot blade on her throat. "Now say 'Recca's a stud muffin and I want to jump him.'"

Fuuko crossed her arms on her chest. "Seriously?"

He grinned smugly before letting go of his hold on her, Saiha's blade retreating back in his arm. "Would've been fun."

Fuuko just shook her head at his silliness. "I need a drink."

They were in the rather commodious backyard of the Hanabishi manor. If you could call it a backyard, it was more like a small country, really. The five acre land stood at the edges of Nashikiri and it was a forty minute walk from the entrance gate to the manor's front doors. The backyard, which the family treated like training grounds, spanned from the horse stables up to the edge of the forest. Only the Hanabishi family and their most trusted comrades and friends were allowed to walk the grounds freely and Fuuko had always been thankful of being bestowed such privilege.

A booming clapping invaded Fuuko's thoughts and she turned to see Recca's father, otherwise known as Nashikiri's great leader, Ouka Hanabishi, with his chief adviser Raiha two steps behind him.

"Very, very impressive. You have been practicing, Fuuko. Fujimaro would be proud," he said with much pride. Having no daughters of his own, he doted on Fuuko like she was his own and had expressed desire in uniting the two in marriage some day. Both Fuuko and Recca promptly told him that that was gross. Thankfully neither her father nor Ouka had been fans of tradition and thought it best that their children should be free to choose who they would marry...or not at all if the case may be.

"Thanks," Fuuko answered shyly, "but he still beat me."

"The day will come, Fuuko-chan," a soothing voice answered. Fuuko couldn't help the blush on her cheeks as she heard Raiha speak with a certain amount of admiration. She had given up on fancying him when she was eleven, the man was ten years her senior and it was futile to pine after someone who would never think of her as more of a sister. But he was still handsome and she was still a girl who couldn't help but blush when he paid attention to her.

"Like hell it would," Recca said arrogantly.

Raiha laughed at the young man's impenetrable smugness. Youth always tends to make one feel untouchable. "She could surprise you. I bet you could match Fuujin now with my Raijin, Fuuko-chan. You're very innovative with your Madogu," he observed.

She shrugged. "I've been experimenting with my moves. The wind has no limits after all."

"True, true," he said as he patted her head, something he always did since she was young and only came up to his hip.

"So when will we have our match Raiha-san?" she asked zealously.

"Now is not the time, but trust me, it will come and we'll know then which Madogu would reign supreme," he said cryptically.

She frowned at his words, he had always said the same thing whenever she requested for a match with him and still his answer puzzled her.

"Enough of that," Ouka intervened, never one for seriousness in front of his child and friends, "would you be joining us for dinner, Fuuko? I'll have the butler set a plate for you."

She nodded gratefully at his invitation. "Thanks."

"Yeah, her stupid Aunt would be too busy over that Debutante ball to feed her anyway," Recca supplied unnecessarily.

"Language son, the Sakoshitas are good friends of our family," Ouka warned him, though he had to admit the Sakoshita matriarch was rather annoying. It was hard to imagine that she was related to Fuuko or her deceased mother.

"But you agree that she's stupid?" Recca insisted.

"No comment," Ouka said.

Fuuko and Recca snickered all the way to the manor as they followed him.

...

A man sat on his blood red leather chair, wrapped in the smog of cigar smoke and the smell of vodka. The thick drapes hung gloomily over the glass windows, blocking the room from rays of the sun that had long set.

"I trust everything is in order."

A calm voice emanated from a tiny black box, "Yes, the family does not suspect a thing."

He grinned wickedly, the thought of one man twisting in agony as his empire burned around him aroused his senses. "What about that brother of mine?"

"He will be of no consequence, as he is now, his skill hasn't reached even a tithe of yours," the man on the other end honestly assessed.

He picked up the glass of clear poison and let the liquid burn his throat, leaving him satisfied.

"You have done very well."

"Thank you. I am your most loyal servant, Kurei-sama."

_To be continued..._

**Next Chapter: **Will be extrapolating more on and establishing their relationships (not just ToFuu, but you know how I love them so expect a lot), the plot will not roll until the third chapter.

**THANKS FOR READING AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	3. Misty Mountain Hop

**Disclaimer:** FoR is not mine. I make no money out of this. Please leave me alone. Misty Mountain Hope is by Led Zeppelin.

**Author's Notes:** Yay! So far I'm making good on my one chapter a week promise! Um yeah, read the chapter, enjoy and REVIEW BITCHES!

Thank you notes: **Lyris** (I'm still trying to maintain her true character, at least in terms of integrity and values. Enjoy this chapter!) **Eirist** (Aw, Lyris beat you to it. I am also somehow tempted to write RecFuu at one point, you're not alone) **loujane14** (Maybe I'll surprise you...okay I probably won't. I'll say it right now, Kurei and Raiha's relationship always held a special place in my heart...because I honestly think Raiha is in love with Kurei, haha. And your theory is very much correct, much pestering on Tokiya's part will be committed)** shalei** (he's enamored. It's just what I pictured him to be if his family hadn't died and he never experience betrayal) **satomika** (hehe, funny thing is I was watching Baz Luhrman's Romeo+Juliet when I got this idea, modern plus classic rocks) **ohchan** (thanks! glad you liked Tokiya and Fuuko's development so far, hope you like the ones in this chapter as well) **Nils** (Thank you! Aunt Jun is terrible, although it wouldn't be the way you had described it, will not give anything away as it comes to play in the next chapter) **kyusetsuki satsuki** (kukuku indeed, Tokiya's playing Fuuko, bloody man's engaged and he still offers to show off his sword and moves to other girls, hehe) **abubi-chan** (the school was fun to write about, and I really wanted to play up the fact that they're teenagers even with all the supernatural things going on because seriously, being a teenager is fun, it only sucks when you're currently one...hehe) **Suryasree** (Thanks!) **SugarArts** (Thank you!) **SnowCharms** (Well, if he knew, there wouldn't be a story...) **khay** (we can live right next to each other, thanks girly!) **yanagi-chyan** (dude, you have no reason to be jealous because you're an amazing writer, your fans, including me, can attest to that. Unfortunately, Kurei has evil shaped face, he'd always get the evil end of the stick, hehe and RecFuu is starting to grow on me, meeble) **aki reinhart** (thanks! that was my favorite part to write, seriously. And I loved writing Recca/Fuuko's friendship. I've sort of patterned after one of my close guy friends...except we shared dirtier jokes and everyone thought we were together but it never crossed the platonic scale and that's what I loved about our friendship)

**Chapter Two: Misty Mountain Hop**

It had been a very strange week for Tokiya. Nashikiri was very different from his old home, he had known this the moment he had first stepped out of his father's car when he was twelve and smelled the polluted air. It was easy enough to adjust to the smoke and to the spiderweb layout of the city streets. It was the copious amount of people that he was finding very hard to conquer. In the mountains of Hakurei, his sister was his only friend and it was never that hard to get along with her. He got along well enough with his tutor and the servants and he had but two neighbors, both old couples and he never had to worry about making an impression with them.

But here, it was like a jungle of teenagers. He would like to not care, but it was hard to ignore them when they were all over the place. It was extra hard that they all saw him as either that strange, quiet country boy or the new hot student (mostly from the female population). He found it difficult to make friends, he never really had to, so he had no idea how to approach someone new. Yanagi was kind enough to adopt him into her clique, expectedly of course, since she was after all set to marry him. However he found her friend quite annoying, a thought that he kept to himself. He hadn't known Yanagi long enough and he wasn't sure how she'd react if he told her he thought her friends were superficial and imbecilic chits.

That's why he was very thankful of his tentative friendship with Fuuko Kirisawa. They were both very different people but they shared the same passion for their craft. At first she had ignored him, just nodding at him when they would pass each other in the corridors and sitting away from him during classes that they shared. It wasn't until the third day of school, during they psychic devices theory class that she had finally paid attention to him. And only because he had finally swallowed up his pride and asked for her help.

Tokiya was undoubtedly intelligent but his education was limited at best. He had no trouble with physical training. He was at par if not better than most of his classmates in manipulating his psychic devices. It was theory that he was having some trouble with. Not even the best tutor in the world could substitute a true Madogu master. His sensei, Kukai, had been kind enough to understand that he was behind his classmates who had been studying under various Madogu masters all their lives and had offered extra lessons after school but Tokiya, proud man that he was, declined and said that he would have no problem catching up. That turned out to be a mistake, since he found out that he had a mountain of reading materials to catch up on and he wasn't quite sure where to start. So on a busy Wednesday, while the rest of class took advantage of the fact that Kukai was sick with the flu and no one could substitute for him, he walked up to Fuuko Kirisawa and asked her if she would be kind enough to tell him where he should go to get a better understanding of the Madogu Law of Physics.

He thought it was logical to ask her, he already knew her and she was obviously at the top of her class. That didn't stop the shocked expression on her face though. But she quickly got over it and invited him to sit next to her. After that day it wasn't so uncommon to find the youngest Mikagami sitting beside his fiancées cousin in every class, sharing notes and exchanging information under their breaths. They have yet to talk about anything outside of lessons, but he was fine with that. He was just happy that he could talk to someone who enjoyed the art of fighting as much as he did.

He was a bit disappointed that the weekend had come so soon. It meant that he would have to wait until Monday just so he can study with Fuuko again. It wasn't like he could ask her to study with him over the weekend, she had never shown any signs of wanting to spend time with him outside of class as she would usually run off to her two friends once the bell rings for lunch or breaks.

And so he found himself sitting in his room, watching some mindless show on TV and unsuccessfully thinking of ways to entertain himself. He was broken out of his stupor by the sudden staccato ring of the phone beside him. He quickly picked it up and held the receiver near his ear.

"Mikagami residence," he said tonelessly.

A soft voice answered, "Good afternoon, may I speak with Tokiya?"

"This is he," he said, wondering who could possibly be calling him.

"Tokiya-kun, this is Yanagi."

"Ah," he said, questioning himself why he couldn't have guessed immediately.

"Well, Mother would like to find out if you could come over today for cotillion practice? I assume you already know that you are to be my escort for the Debutante ball?" she said shyly.

"Yes, yes. Dad told me before. When do you need me?" he said.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind. I'm sorry for the short notice, I wasn't informed that we would be practicing with our escorts today," she apologized, voice full of embarrassment, "could you come over to our house?"

"I'll leave at this instant," he assured her.

After short goodbyes, Tokiya headed to his room to change out of his pajamas. At least now he had something to do.

...

Tokiya walked up to the rather majestic Sakoshita residence, feeling plain even in his black slacks and blue button up shirt. He took a deep breath before gently banging the brass door knocker. A man in a blue uniform answered the door and immediately recognized him. The butler was about to lead him to the parlor where the other debutantes and their escorts were but Tokiya stopped merely two steps into the house.

He didn't expect to see her here, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise, Yanagi had told him that she normally stays at their house when her father was out of the country.

"Fuuko?" he said tentatively.

Her purple head turned suddenly at the sound of her name. She was wearing something similar to what he saw her in the first time they had met when she was eleven. Denim shorts and a white wife beater, although it looked very different on her now. Her legs had gotten longer and, well, she seemed to be bursting out of her wife beater.

"Hey, Mikagami," she said, letting go of her hold on the balustrade and walked towards him. He tried very much to not let his eyes peruse her body. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here for cotillion practice," he answered automatically.

"Of course," she said, crinkling her nose.

"Are you here for practice as well?" he asked, feeling very unsure of himself.

She shook her head with a laugh. "I'd look awfully silly in a gown, don't you think?"

He shrugged. He thought it wouldn't have been too bad. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked instead, noticing the body bag on her shoulder.

She nodded. "Um, Recca's picking me up, we're going to catch a movie at the mall."

"Is he your boyfriend?" he had to ask.

He felt rather insulted when she laughed mockingly at him. "No! God, just because a girl and a guy are close, doesn't mean they're shagging on the side."

"I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes at his quick apology. "Don't worry, you're not the first person to ask," she said assuringly and squeezed his arm for good measure.

He wondered if she noticed his shiver at the contact.

"Anyway," she started, "you should go join them, they look like they're having lots of fun," she said with a snort.

He tilted his head to the side and remembered what she was doing before he had called her attention. "You were watching them."

She appeared unaffected except for the sudden quirk of her lips, so infinitesimal, he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been looking at her so intently. "It was just amusing, watching them dance around like circus monkeys," she said, trying to play it off as casual.

He simply nodded and let her think that she had convinced him. He didn't think he had the right yet to dig so deep into her thoughts. But he knew she was lying, her eyes were too expressive and in her unguarded moment, he was able to see her longing.

The honking of a car sought her attention and just like that, Tokiya once again felt like an outsider in her world.

"That'd be Recca, who's not my boyfriend," she said teasingly, "I should go."

"And I'll go play with the circus monkeys," he said in a low voice, unsure how it would go over her.

Thankfully she laughed at his measly attempt at a joke. "Have fun!"

He smirked at her as she started for the door. "You too."

...

Fuuko ran down the marble steps of the Sakoshita residence, her legs reacting to Recca's continuous honking.

"Pipe down, will you? My aunt's gonna kill you!" Fuuko admonished as she got near the car.

Recca finally let the beeping rest. "Get in, we're gonna be late for the movie."

She walked around the driver's side and got into the passenger's seat. She noticed the back seat was missing its usual occupant. "I thought Domon was coming?"

"Nah, he's helping out with the flower shop, can't come," Recca explained as he started pulling out of the driveway.

Fuuko narrowed her eyes, her forehead crinkling. "So that means we're watching a movie, together? Alone?"

Recca grinned. "Yeah. Do I make you nervous?"

Fuuko whacked the side of his head.

"Hey! I'm driving here!"

"Then stop being a pervert," she said, "I was just saying that now more people are gonna think we're together or something."

Recca snickered. "I think we should spite them all by making out."

"How does that spite them all?"

"I don't know, I just wanted to make out."

She whacked the side of his head again.

"Bitch!"

"Perv! Anyway, aren't you supposed to be in love with my cousin?" she said.

He grinned at her. "Being in love and wanting to make out with a smoking girl are two very different things dear," he said cheekily.

"You're pathetic," she said with a shake of her head.

"Speaking of my beloved, how's Yanagi today?" he asked.

"She seemed happy last time I saw her," Fuuko answered, "Tokiya came over today for cotillion practice, so they're dancing away right now."

Recca's disposition suddenly turned sour. "Right."

Fuuko put a hand on the arm that was holding the stick shift. "Look, don't act all depressed if you don't have the balls to fight for her. She doesn't even know you're carrying a torch for her."

He shrugged her hand away. "I just don't want to make a mess of her life, okay? Everyone knew about their engagement before we could even walk. And you know how people are, they're gonna talk shit about her if she just broke that off and got together with another guy. Not to say I even have a chance. She's just so perfect, Fuuko, and she's heading for a perfect life."

Fuuko sighed, personally she thought that if Yanagi could only get to know Recca, she'd be willing to leave her entire life for him. "Sorry."

"It's alright," he said, the smile on his face returning, "you're a good friend."

Fuuko smirked as her thoughts whirled around her head. _I'm a great friend, Recca, that's why I'll make sure all your dreams will come true._

_..._

Tokiya watched his brunette fiancee as she carefully listened to the dance choreographer's instructions. Her face looked serene, thoughtful...beautiful. She stood out in the crowd, with a regal stance and a humble countenance. If life were a movie, she would be the lead character, charming, gorgeous and kind. He understood why everyone at their school flocked to her like moths to the flame, she was luminous next to the mass of lifeless drones. It shouldn't be so difficult to fall in love with her.

And so he told himself he was just tired, that's why he felt nothing when she laid a dainty hand on his shoulder, and he told himself he was sleepy, that's why his heart didn't beat faster when she looked at him, and he told himself he was nervous about school, that's why he couldn't pay long enough attention when she talked to him, and he told told himself he was bored, that's why his thoughts kept drifting towards another girl who had purple hair and intimidating eyes.

...

"That movie was awesome!" Recca exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air as they walked out of the cinema.

Fuuko looked at him incredulously and crossed her arms on her chest. "That was the worst two hours of my life."

Recca gasped as if she just told him Big Bird was shot by a poacher. "Blasphemy! That was cinematic art at its finest!"

"You just liked it because the lead female character spent half the movie topless."

"That too!"

Fuuko shook her head. "You are so weird!"

He winked at her. "It's part of my charm." He swung an arm around her shoulder and dragged her towards the parking lot. "You wanna grab dinner before I drop you off?"

"Let's just have dinner at my Aunt's," she suggested.

"Sure she wouldn't mind?" he asked.

Fuuko looked up at him with a sneer. "We're talking about my Aunt here. She's a notorious social climber, she would _love_ to have you for dinner."

Recca snickered. "That's Aunt Jun alright."

...

Recca yawned as he waited for Fuuko to open the door, her keychain jingling with its myriad of keys.

"Sometime this year?" he nudged.

She stuck her tongue out at him. After a couple more seconds, she finally got the right key and opened the door. They were greeted with Aunt Jun's stern face.

"Where have you—Recca, it's so nice to see you!" Aunt Jun immediately back peddled.

Fuuko rolled her eyes. She was such a suck up. "Aunt Jun, can Recca stay for dinner?"

"Of course, I'll have plate set for you. It's always such a pleasure having you over," the Sakoshita matriarch answered readily, face all saccharine smiles. She turned to Fuuko and pursed her lips at her niece's skimpy clothing. "Fuuko, why don't you go up and change into something more...appropriate."

"Sure," she answered sourly and added in her mind _"Anything to get out of your way."_

Recca watched Fuuko rush up the stairs two at a time as if a plague was on her tail. He stood there as Mrs. Sakoshita continued to smile sweetly at him. She was about to ask him a question (possibly about his father's social calendar) but he intercepted her before it was too late. "Oh, I was gonna borrow a CD from Fuuko, I'll just go up there right now."

Before the older woman could open her mouth, Recca had walked around her and followed Fuuko up the stairs.

Recca had been very familiar with this place. Before high school happened and the politics of teenagery came into play, Yanagi was also his friend. She was never as close to him as Fuuko was, she had always been proper, obedient and much too reserved to be involved in any of their shenanigans. But he had enough fond memories of playing hide and seek with her.

He remembered the first time he ever saw Yanagi. He was six years old and just had an accident with his skateboard and she saw him fall flat on his face from her little lemonade stand. She rushed up to him, hair in pigtails and wearing a pink apron with a red bow on each strap. She asked him if he was okay and immediately cried when she saw red gashes on his knees. Without a word, she ran back her house and minutes later came out with a first aid kit. And when she gently blew the stinging wound on his knee, Recca knew he was in love.

Of course, at that age it was probably just a crush. But as the years went by and he had gotten to know her, gotten to know that her heart was even more beautiful than her face, he had already irretrievably lost his heart to her. He was heartbroken when he found out about the engagement, to a boy whose father was friends with Mr. Sakoshita. He locked himself up in his room and refused to come out, even when his mother bribed him with ice cream. Then he saw her, with the boy she was to marry. He was taller, much more handsome and she looked very happy to meet him. It broke his little heart again, but he didn't want to intrude on her happiness, he didn't need her to love him back, he just needed to see her smile.

Recca counted the doors, down the hallway, it had been a while since he was last in this place and he wasn't sure where Fuuko stayed these days. He figured it wouldn't have changed since the last time. He counted three doors and opened the door with little caution.

"Yo, Fuuko," he muttered without looking up.

"Recca-kun!"

His head shot up at the squeak that was decidedly not Fuuko's. For one, it was much too feminine, two, Fuuko would never call him Recca-kun, and third, Fuuko didn't squeak.

"Yanagi-chan! Shit! I'm so sorr--" but his apology was cut short when he glimpsed upon her clothing. The the sweetheart neckline adorned with glittering silver sequins, the white satin stretched across her waist before starting a ballerina skirt from her hips down to her torso. His eyes glazed over at the picture she made, "Wow."

Yanagi blinked before realizing what she was wearing. "Oh, it's my dress for the ball. Mother had it ordered from Paris...I think it's a little too much."

Recca shook his head in disagreement. "I think it's perfect."

She blushed at his appraisal. "Really?"

He gave her a gentle smile, holding onto the doorknob tightly to stop himself from rushing to her and taking her in his arms. "Yes. You look like a princess."

She dropped her head to hide her incarnadine cheeks. "Thank you."

Recca felt his insides turn to mush as he watched her fiddle with her hands. How could she not be aware of her effect on him? "I should look for Fuuko."

"Her room's right next door," Yanagi answered, still not looking at him.

"I'm sorry for bursting on you like that," he said. As he turned around and started to pull the door close, she called his name, and it sounded so soft coming from her lips.

"It was very nice seeing you again, Recca-kun," she said.

All he could manage was a nod and a smile, he was very sure he would've blurted out something stupid like 'I love you' if he had dared opened his mouth.

...

Tokiya was not stalking her. It just so happened that he overheard her telling her friends that she was going to the library, and he was already _thinking_ of going to the library at that point. And he was just exploring the many shelves and the extensive collection of books, that's why he had been walking around for the past fifteen minutes around every corner, he was not actually looking for her.

After five more minutes of walking through aisles of strange books (the books about bestiality made him shudder) he began entertaining thoughts that perhaps she had changed her mind about going to the library and was currently off with her friends doing something illegal, like terrorizing senior citizens. He was about to turn back and actually study when he spotted her at the last aisle at the very back of the library, sitting on the floor with a thick, moldy book on her lap. He finally found her and now he wasn't very sure what to do. Why was he even looking for her in the first place. He turned on his heel and started walking the other way but he must've been a bit too loud in his movements because in a fraction of a second she called his name.

"Mikagami?"

He stopped and tried to calm down his breathing before turning around to face her. "Fuuko-san."

She smiled at him. "What're you doing here? People rarely stay long enough to get to this part of the library."

He walked up to her with a steady step. "I was looking for a book about," he said, before randomly pulling out one of the tomes from the shelf and read the title, "How to toilet train your cat...I've been planning to get a cat."

Fuuko giggled. "Well, you wanna join me here? I doubt you want people to see you reading about cat toilet-training."

Tokiya wished the floor would swallow him at that moment. He carefully placed the book back in its place and sat next to her. "It's actually good that I ran into you," he said, his ears burning because he knew that she knew it was a lie, "I was hoping we could do our homework together...it goes by much faster that way."

She shrugged. "Sure. I was about to anyway."

He peered into the book she was reading. "You mean you're not doing homework?" She snapped the book shut before he could take a better look, although he didn't miss the glossy paper and the bold colorful letters.

She became flustered at his question. "No, just doing some extra reading."

He let it pass and continued to take out his notes from his book bag. "Don't you think it's pointless for us to be taking western physics when our Madogus appear to be above such laws."

She nodded, thankful that he had not asked more questions. "My father said the same thing you know. They keep saying that our Madogu's simply defy or bend such laws, they didn't even explore the fact that perhaps the laws they've written are wrong. But it's good, I guess, it's what prevents the scientific world from discovering the secrets of the psychic devices. Can you imagine if everyone in the world ran rampant with a psychic device? It'd be chaos."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Although, it might really be a mix of science and providence. After all, anyone can possess a psychic device, but not all of them would know what to do with it."

"Hmm, guess you're right. My Fuujin picked me, in a way. It was supposed to go to my oldest brother but it wouldn't react to him," she mused.

"I've yet to see your Fuujin in action," he suddenly remembered.

"And I've yet to see you with Ensui," she returned with a smirk.

"How about tomorrow? After school?" he asked.

"Cool," she affirmed. She smiled up at him, obvious excitement at the prospect of a spar and battling a new fighter.

And ripples ran through his skin.

"We should do our homework now," he said, hoping she didn't notice the catch in his breath.

"Sure."

It took them one and a half hours to go through everything. Tokiya had discovered that once Fuuko started studying, you couldn't get her to do anything else. She was as focused with schoolwork as she would be in fighting, never giving up until her task was done (and he supposed, the enemy was unconscious).

Once they had finished they quietly packed up their things. He stood up and held his hand out to help her up. He could feel her discomfort at his chivalry, but he couldn't help it, his father had ingrained it in his system. She took up his offer and brushed her hands against her skirt after she stood up.

"I'll see you, I guess," she said.

"Let me walk you home," he said before he could stop himself.

"I-" she started.

"I would like to say hello to Yanagi, I wasn't able to meet her after school," he added, not wanting her to feel divided.

"O-okay," she finally conceded.

He wanted to ask her if he could carry her bag, but he decided against it. His actions were starting to frighten him, but he still thought it was nice that he could walk her home.

...

"Go Fuuko! Kick his sorry ass to the curb!"

"Shut up Domon!"

Tokiya looked at the gorilla like teen as he jumped up and down, waving hot pink pompoms that he had stolen from the girl's locker room, cheering the girl in front of him on. Much to her dismay, apparently.

"Your friend, is very odd," he said, picking his words carefully.

She scratched the back of her head as she switched her stance from one foot to another. "Sorry about that. When I told them about us sparring, they wanted to see it too."

"Your other friend is glaring at me," he added, watching the one named Recca bore holes through his skull.

"They're very protective," she explained away, "should we start?"

His answer was to take out a bottle of water from the holster at his side.

"I'm not thirsty," she chided.

"Trust me, you're going to be once I'm done with you," he teased arrogantly.

"We'll see about that," she said as she placed a hand on her hip and raised the arm wearing the Fuujin. He felt the winds change as a whirlwind gathered around her hand.

He took out his Ensui and poured the water seemingly onto air. He noted the astonished look on her face as the water wrapped itself around a seemingly invisible rod, fining out like glass until its sharp edges glistened in the sun's blinding rays.

"Enough of this preliminary shit! Start kicking ass!"

"God Domon, shut up!"

Tokiya couldn't hold in his snort. His first mistake as he felt something sharp like knives piercing the skin of his arm. Fuuko had not moved from her spot and she shouldn't have been able to deliver an attack like that without her kunai.

"I have tricks up my sleeve," she said with a wink. "It's called Kamaitachi, just want to let you know what move will beat you." She slashed her arm against the air with a heavy pressure, creating a thin path of wind sharp enough to cut, all heading towards him.

He barely had time to dodge the attack. He landed on his feet and watched the blood trickle down his hand. He smirked at her. "Nice."

"Told you I'm good," she jeered as she prepared another attack.

This time she caught him but then his form disintegrated into water landing in a puddle on the grass. She calculated his moves and predictably he attacked from behind. She decided to wing it and slammed the heel of her hand against his jaw.

He hadn't expected her to pull taijutsu on him. He stumbled back, amazed at the strength of her strike. This was going to bruise in the morning.

"Sorry." The grin on her face told him she was anything but.

His jaw throbbed and he decided this had to end soon, he's not sure how well he'll do if she decided to forget about their psychic devices and start beating his ass the old-fashioned way. He wasn't exactly trained for that, and judging from the force of her punch, she very much was.

He pointed his Ensui so that it was positioned perpendicularly from his body. "Hyapon Gekki," was his only warning to her before he started quick, straightforward striking blows. She was seemingly defenseless against his attack and he felt victory imminent. But her intuitiveness struck through as she swung her arm in an unfamiliar manner. His blows were suddenly blocked by gush of wind so thick, it seemed to have created a wall around her. He watched as she wrapped herself in a whirlwind so strong that it created a whorl on the grass where she stood, his skin hurt from the pressure of it and he was standing a good distance away from her whirlwind.

He smirked. It was a good try and it would take a great amount of skill to be able to create a tornado of this magnitude, but he doubted she'd be able to stand behind it for so long. He'd giver her five minutes at most and he would strike while she caught her breath.

Like a snake he bid his time and as soon as he saw her barrier weaken, he lifted his sword above his head. Her defenses dropped and as he had predicted he saw her gasping for air, but he didn't give her time to recover as he ran up to her, ready to strike a blow on her shoulder.

Wide brown eyes and a moment of hesitation...

Tokiya found himself on his back with a triumphant Fuuko straddling his waist, forehead glistening with sweat, her breasts still heaving from the lack of breath. "That was fun," she said with a huge grin.

He gulped and nodded as he remembered the first time he found himself in this position. Shouldn't he be yelling at her to get off right about now.

A pensive look crossed her face. "Is it just me or are you getting an odd sense of deja vu?"

Before he could answer he heard two pairs of heavy steps rushing up to them. Fuuko got off him and pulled him up with his hand.

"You're not so bad," Recca admitted but the distrustful look on his face never left.

"You're amazing, Fuuko!" the one named Domon squealed. He held out his arms and stepped up to the female fighter.

"Don't touch me," she warned him. Domon folded immediately.

"We should go at it sometime," Recca half heartedly offered Tokiya, although he really wouldn't mind getting the chance to beat the living daylight out of the other guy.

Tokiya merely nodded, unsure how to address a person who had an obvious dislike for him. He wondered if Fuuko was at all aware that her oft proclaimed best friend was crushing on her.

The flame caster, after giving his obligatory appraisal, turned to the purple haired girl. "Yo, Domon and I are gonna go grab some burgers. Wanna join?"

"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna drop by the house first and shower," she said, making a show of sniffing her clothes. She turned to Tokiya and kindly extended the invitation. "How about you?"

Tokiya appreciated that she was nice enough to invite him for show but he didn't really fancy going with her two friends, especially when one of them didn't bother to hide the fact that he hated him.

"I'm good. I need to head home early anyhow," he declined. With a nod of goodbye, he headed towards the bleachers to collect his things. He heard Fuuko tell Recca and Domon that she'll see them later. He turned his head around and waited for her to catch up to him.

"We should make this a regular thing. I could learn a lot from you, I suck a bit at tactical combat," she said as they reached the bleachers.

"And I suppose you could help me with taijutsu. I've only ever learned sword fighting, never really ventured into martial arts," he said. It was their little way of giving each other props.

He zipped his bag and fixed it on his shoulder and waited for her as she did the same with her gym bag.

"Hey," she said as she fiddled with her straps, "why did you stop?"

Tokiya crinkled his brows in askance.

"You were going to strike, but you hesitated, that's why I was able to counter. I just want to know why?" she clarified. "I hope it's not because you think I'm weak."

He let out a breath slowly. "I couldn't hit a girl?" he said, tone dipping at the end as if asking for approval with his answer.

She laughed. "You do realize that I'm not the only female combatant there is, you're going to eventually have to hit a girl."

"Maybe," his breath hitched, wondering if it was proper to say such things, "I just couldn't hit you."

She looked up his ice blue orbs, cold and stormy yet there was something warm in there, something that made her skin prickle and the back of her head pulsed warning her of something, yet it spoke in a foreign language that she couldn't quite understand.

"I have to go home," she said suddenly.

"Fuuko..."

"I'll see you around, okay? I mean you're my cousin's fiancee...you'll be around the house a lot and I'll see you." She turned around, unable to hold his stare, afraid she might burst.

Tokiya watched her run away, wind blowing wildly against her in directions that made no sense. He wondered if it was reacting to her, she was the wind goddess after all. If it was, perhaps he wasn't alone in the confusion of his mind.

_To be continued..._

**END NOTES:** I would like to thank wikipedia for helping me remember names and attacks. I hope that second attempt at an action scene was better. Next chapter, diabolical things happen...and a debutante ball. That's sort of redundant, heh.

**THANKS FOR READING AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	4. Dancing Days

**Disclaimer**; Nothing is mine. 'Dancing Days' is by Led Zeppelin, if you haven't already guessed.

**Author's Notes - THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED. shalei, aki reinhart, SnowCharms, Suryasree, loujane14, kyusetsuki satsuki, Nils, abubi-chan, kyLaaa, Isis, satomika, mikaro, skysenshi, ohchan, EiRist and Lyris.**

Sorry that I'm unable to reply individually, if you signed in I'll reply to you through pm, but my shift key is not working and just typing this whole thing took a toll on me, gah I had no idea until now just how difficult life is without my shift key. Bwah, shift key please live again...

**ON TOKIYA'S CHARACTER - **I just wanted to make a general statement about Tokiya's characterization. It's true, he's OOC from canon Tokiya, but please keep in mind that in this fiction, none of his tragedies has ever happened. Here he has a whole family and his sensei did not murder them just to make sure he'd have a driving force to learn Ensui. Tokiya's character in the manga has primarily been molded by the events of his life, taking away all those would cause a drastic change. What you see here is my personal interpretation of what he would be like without that and I worked with what is inherent in him, the two things that stood out was he was fiercely loyal and very loving to his family and two, his passion and preternatural skill for learning Ensui.

**Chapter Three: Dancing Days**

All the girls of Nashikiri seemed to have been inflicted with a bug Tokiya decided to call 'Debutantitis'. Everywhere he turned he would see girls of all types clumped into groups either talking about their dresses and their escorts. If not that, then it was about the band that was invited to perform for the after party. His only respite from the madness was his now almost daily training with the only girl that appeared to be immune to the bug.

The girl was currently walking towards him in her maroon uniform that seemed to have been altered to make her legs look longer and her top fuller. He shook his head to will away the thoughts an engaged man shouldn't be having about anyone other than his betrothed. He had come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to her, if his constant need to see her didn't convince him, the dreams he had of the two of them doing less than innocent things certainly did. But he was a man of his honor and he had been promised to Yanagi, even the thought of betraying her made something deep inside him break. It wasn't even a question, he couldn't ever think of hurting the girl who had done nothing but be kind and sweet to him. Yanagi was to be his love, his life and Fuuko was just a friend who physically enticed him, that was all. He had more restraint than that and he would never act upon those thoughts. Besides, it wasn't like she reciprocated those feelings, she was nice enough to him, but not any nicer than she was to Recca or Domon. Although sometimes when Fuuko would look to him with a smile in her eyes and ask him how his day was, he would feel a resentment towards his parents for deciding his life for him before he'd had the chance to live it.

'Yo Mi-chan,' she greeted as she leaned against the locker next to his. He grinned at the nickname she baptized him with after deciding that 'Mikagami' was too long for her glib tongue, he never had a nickname growing up and he quite liked this one especially the way it rolled off her tongue.

'Fuuko,' he said with a nod. He noticed that she was missing her usual book bag and instead had a gym bag slung over her shoulder. 'Going running?'

'Something like that. I'm heading off to the gym to do some weights, Dad says I need to work on my stamina,' she said.

He nodded to show her that he was listening. 'Your father is back home?'

'Yep,' she affirmed with a genuine grin on her face, obviously excited about her father's homecoming. 'He just got back the day before. I told him about you, he really wants to meet you.'

He closed his locker with a snap and wordlessly invited her to walk alongside him. 'I hope you talked of good things.'

She laughed as she skipped to his side. 'Of course, he says I've become more strategic in my fighting approach and I told him it was because I've started sparring with someone more cerebral than Recca and Domon,' she said with a snort.

Tokiya smirked at her words. He hadn't been as close to either of her friends as he was to her but they were always around when he and Fuuko practiced and he'd been around them enough to have a rough idea of what they're like. They were both fiercely loyal and protective of the purple-haired girl definitely, but both had exhibited signs of being brash and were the type to act before they think. 'So I guess I won't be seeing you around Yanagi's house much,' he said, biting back the tone of disappointment in his voice.

'Nah, my Dad says he's going to be taking a long break so he can spend some time at home,' she answered happily.

'But we'll still spar,' he said hopefully.

'Of course,' she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'Besides, I'm going to have to drag you to the gym some time. We need to get some muscle mass into those puny arms of yours.'

'Excuse me, but my arms are quite fine the way they are,' he scoffed at her and flexed his biceps for good measure.

Fuuko snickered. 'Oh you mean those pipe-cleaners?'

He pretended to be offended. 'Hey, I remember these pipe-cleaners slamming your face into the ground yesterday.'

'So you admit they're pipe-cleaners?'

'You have a one track mind don't you?'

Fuuko stopped right underneath the exit sign of the school doors. She smirked his way and said, 'You should know by now that I'm very stubborn.'

'You are very stubborn,' and he added before he could stop himself, 'Sometimes I really wished you weren't so.'

Fuuko bit her lip at his words and tried to force a casual smile but only ended up with what appeared to be a wince. They often ended up in this kind of situation, a tension-filled silence often at something he said. He wished he could read her mind at these times, delve into her thoughts and discover if she had somehow pieced the puzzles into the meaningful looks he would send her way and then belatedly regret. Other times he was thankful that he wasn't given such gifts, because if she gave him the slightest inkling that she might not mind his thoughts, he wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself.

'Tokiya-kun!'

Tokiya turned and watched the girl he was to marry walk up to him gracefully. He felt his heart beat wildly in his chest, paranoia sinking into his skin as if he was just caught doing something. Not that he was doing anything. Although the sardonic part of his brain jovially reminded him that admiring the physique and effectively flirting with your fiancé's cousin was something.

'Yanagi, I was waiting for you,' he said, hoping she had not caught the lie.

'Oh good, I thought you had already left. I was hoping to invite you to tea since I would like to speak with you about something,' she said. She slipped her hand to intertwine with his and faced the third party in their little group. 'Fuuko-chan, Mother wants to know when you and Uncle would join us for dinner. It's been a while since the family has all sat down together for a meal.'

Fuuko looked between him and Yanagi with an unreadable expression on her face before replying. 'I'll ask him about it later, but I think he wants to just relax at home for a while and he considers dinners with Aunt Jun stressful.' It was no secret that Yanagi's mother and her father weren't exactly the best of friends.

Yanagi awkwardly laughed, never getting used to her cousin's candor at their family's situation. 'Well, I hope we get around to it soon, I miss you around the house.'

Fuuko smiled, Yanagi makes her consider that her Aunt couldn't be so bad if she was able to raise this girl right. 'Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow? Dad would love to see you.'

Yanagi eagerly nodded. 'Tomorrow night then.'

Plans made, Fuuko shifted her feet in a move to walk away. 'Well, I'm off. You two lovebird have fun.'

And as she walked away, Tokiya wondered if it was just his imagination or if she had somehow lost that spring in her step.

...

Tokiya and Yanagi sat beside each other on the living room couch at the Sakoshita residence with a kettle of tea between them. They had been going over the Débutante program for the last half hour, with Yanagi coaching him on what he would be doing and where he would be standing. She had even prepared a little model of the pavilion where the ball would be held and used colorful push pins to represent the débutantes and their escorts. It amused him to no end that his push pin had a silver confetto glued at the top.

She carefully placed the model pavilion on the coffee table in front of them. She placed her hands daintily on her lap, a habit of hers when she was about to say something she deemed important, he had noticed. So he straightened up and gave the impression that he was paying rapt attention.

'Tokiya-kun, my eighteenth birthday would be coming up in two months and Mother thought it would be a good idea to officially announce our engagement then,' she said softly, a pretty blush on her cheeks.

All he could say was 'Oh.'

Yanagi sat up straighter than she normally did -and she always sat up straight as if she had a brace on her back- and looked up to him with serious eyes. 'Tokiya-kun, do you really want to be engaged to me?'

He was taken aback by her question and wasn't able to fully process his answer when blurted out 'Why would you ask that?'

She sighed heavily as if she was preparing to launch into a very long speech. 'It's just that, whenever you are with me, I can't help but feel that you're not really there. It's as if I bore you. I know I'm not as exciting as some of the other girls in class, I don't have fascinating stories or quips, I don't get out all that much, even my friends are only my friends because of my mother's connections with their families, but I would like to make you happy. Although I have the feeling that I am failing horribly at that.'

Tokiya gulped. He had not wanted this for her. He guiltily thought that he had been consciously lax in his effort to get to know her, always running off for one reason or another. He didn't know that so much had been plaguing her mind. He looked at her hands fidgeting in her lap, manicured and flawless, a sign of her pampered life. There was something about her, a mixture of innocence and fragility that made him want to protect her, make sure that she would never have a worry in her life. He gently took her hands in his while another he placed under her chin so he could make her look up at his face.

'I do not think you're boring, not at all. If there is no exciting story to tell, it's only because you have peaceful heart. You are beautiful and you are very smart, your friends are your friends because you are kind and loyal. And you do make me happy, any man would be lucky to call you theirs,' he said sincerely.

He watched the smile light up her face and it made him content that he could bring a peace in her heart. It was then that he noticed just how close they were. She was looking up at him expectantly and shyly at the same time. Tokiya leaned down his head and captured her lips in a chaste kiss.

This was alright, right? They were to be married in a year, it was to be expected, for them to kiss, hug and touch, do things that lovers would do. But it was that very same thought that bothered him, it shouldn't feel like this, like it was a duty. She was beautiful and sweet girl, and she should be kissed with passion, with love, with all of his being.

He pulled her closer, brushing his tongue against her lower lip. She innocently opened her mouth and he delved in, exploring her taste. She was sweet, too sweet and he wanted to get lost in this feeling, to elicit a fire within him but all he could think of was how he didn't know where exactly to put his hands.

And as their first kiss ended, he pulled her close and tucked her head under his chin, because he didn't want her to see the emptiness in his eyes.

...

'We should do something more worthwhile,' Fuuko voiced out of nowhere, 'like, I don't know, eating a gallon of cream cheese.'

Recca looked to her with a disbelieving glance. 'This is worthwhile,' he said as he threw another ball of wet tissue paper at the concrete wall and then giving a hoot as he watched it stick. 'Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.'

They were at the rooftop of the school building. Classes had been cut in half in lieu with the ball to be held that evening. Fuuko sat between Domon and Recca on one of the air vents as the two entertained themselves by throwing wet balled up tissue at one of the concrete walls surrounding them.

Domon pulled out one of the balled up tissues from the little bucket they brought with them. He snorted as he saw his prize. 'Heh, this one's shaped like a boob.'

Fuuko rolled her eyes. 'I need smarter friends.'

'That's what beanpole is there for,' Domon told her, 'where is that guy by the way, I haven't seen him around.'

Fuuko shrugged. 'Eh, he's been scarce. He's probably busy with the ball and his engagement to my cousin.'

Domon nudged her playfully. 'Do I see jealousy in your eyes?'

She hit the back of his head. 'No, God! I don't think of him that way, okay?'

Domon rubbed the sore spot at his head. 'I was just kidding, no need to be so defensive.' He threw the ball at the wall and groaned as it hit the ground. 'So anyway, you guys going to show for this ball thing?'

'I have to make an appearance, you know how it is,' Recca answered with distress.

'You not escorting anyone?' Fuuko asked curiously.

'Oh trust me, there were plenty of invitations,' he said with a lecherous smirk.

'Why you stud muffin,' Domon said with leer. Fuuko couldn't hold in the scandalous cackle from bubbling out of her mouth at the way Recca's face turned purple.

'Dude, don't do that...that's just...ARGH!' He started scratching his skin as if he'd been attacked by a rabid horde of fleas.

Fuuko hid her head behind Domon's arm as the two continued to laugh. When Domon calmed down a bit he turned to Fuuko and asked her, 'How about you, you're not gonna drop by?'

She shook her head. 'Please, I have more important things to do than twirl around in a skirt.'

Recca got up and hovered over Fuuko, placing his hands on either side of her thighs. 'Come on, you should drop by, we can go for ice cream after. It's not like I'll stick around for long.'

She tilted her head to the side as if considering his invitation. 'I'll think about it.'

Domon looked between the two of them. 'Isn't anyone going to invite me?'

'Damn it you're still here,' Recca groaned exaggeratedly. Domon threw wet tissue ball right between his nose. 'Fine, you can come too.'

'Yay!' Domon then wiggled in his place.

Recca tried to stop himself from barfing. 'Don't do that again.'

...

Fuuko squirmed as the white dress that sat beside her seemed to burn a hole into her bed. She had been actively not paying attention to the television for the past hour, her mind was unsuccessful at straying away from thoughts that did not involve dresses and balls.

These are the times when she missed her mother the most. She was only seven when she passed away and she didn't have much in terms of memory of her. But she had pictures of her all around the house. Her mother was beautiful, no doubt and Fuuko did not look like her at all. She was always pictured in elegant gowns and fancy parties. She wondered sometimes if her mother would be proud of how she had grown up, or if she would be like her Aunt Jun and criticize her at every corner. But her Father had told her that her mother was not like her twin sister at all, that she had always loved Fuuko's free spirit and was very proud of her the first time she wielded the Fuujin.

Fuuko touched the soft chiffon cloth beside her. The gown was yellowing at the hems due to age. It was her mother's débutante gown, the one she wore when she and her father had first met. Her father told her once that her mother had wished she would wear it to her own coming out. That's when her decision was made, just this once, she would do something that would've made her mother happy.

...

The soft chandelier lights lent a candle lit quality to the pavilion. The ceiling was swathed in white fabric and round tables surrounded the wooden floorboards of the dance floor that led to the grand staircase where the débutantes would be descending. Tokiya kept to himself as he waited for his name to be called while the other escorts around him engaged in idle talk. He saw the female announcer, one of the senior ladies whom he remembered from one of his future mother-in-law's dinner parties, touch her lips to the microphone and read from the cue cards in her hands.

'Yanagi Sakoshita is the daughter Ichigo and Jun Sakoshita. Yanagi is currently a junior at Nashikiri High, president of the Junior class and the Glee Club. She enjoys singing, baking and spending her Saturdays volunteering at the Nashikiri Home for Children. She hopes to pursue a course in Medicine at the Tokyo University after high school. She will be escorted by Tokiya Mikagami, son of Toshiharu and Misato Mikagami, keepers of the Madogu, Ensui.'

As soon as she finished, Tokiya descended towards the center landing and as instructed, waited for Yanagi to come down from the other side. He looked up as he watched her walk down with grace. She placed a gloved hand in his awaiting arm as they robotically went down the steps in sync. He hoped never to do this again in his life.

...

He wished that was him holding her, leading her down the steps, close enough to smell her. But instead he was sitting in this royal spot, watching as she smiled up at her future husband contently while he could barely spare her a passing glance. Recca had to dig his nails on the cushioned armrest of his chair to stop himself from going up there and punching the guy, for not paying enough attention to her, for that stoic look on his face when he should be fucking dancing in his spot just because he was lucky enough to be near her.

'Come on son, just thirty more débutantes and the cotillion dance then you can skip out of here,' Ouka whispered to him, misconstruing his son's restlessness.

Recca just groaned into his hand.

...

Tokiya methodically twirled his partner before he about faced to face another random débutante He took her in his arms and they did their little step before twirling once more, this time to go back to their original partners.

She was coming from the other end of the dance floor, in her glorious white ball gown and the diamond encrusted necklace that rested between her bosom. It hit him then, this time next year she would be coming up to him, in another white gown, one that would be more elaborate if her mother had anything to say about it -and she would- and they would say their vows and promise each other their lives, forever and ever until death do they part. He felt his windpipe close in as gasped for breath. She came up to him halfway through the floor completely clueless of his trembling nerves. He let muscle memory take over and finish the rest of the choreography and after the final dip he gave a quick apology and walked out with as much dignity as he could muster.

He needed air, oh God did he need air. His life, it was so final, this was his life and he hated it. Hated that his parents gave him no choice, hated that he didn't have it in him to defy them, to disappoint them, hated that she was too kind for him to hurt her, hated that he was given a glimpse of what he could have if he was free to decide for himself, if he only had the courage to decide for himself.

That's when he saw her, another woman in a white gown, a simple one that tied around her neck, no frills and no jewels but she had grabbed his attention like no other, and he felt himself finally be able to breathe.

She turned away from him with a decisive stomp and before he could stop himself he called her name.

...

Recca watched as he ran outside, leaving a shocked Yanagi on the dance floor all by herself with a hurt look on her face. He never even looked back and Recca thought he would have to be a special kind of asshole to be so callous with her. He watched her dejectedly make her way back to one of the tables, sitting alone in her ball gown. And for once, Recca thought, he wanted to be selfish.

He walked up to her with his cocky gait and gave her a grin that masked the depth of his thoughts, letting her see the carefree boy she had always known. 'Yo, Yanagi-chan, wanna boogie?'

She giggled gaily and shook her head. 'I'm kind of tired, Recca-kun.'

And it was all he could do not to cry where he was. She didn't like him, he had always known in the back of his mind that she wouldn't like someone like him, but it hurt even more, albeit indirectly, being told to his face.

'But if it's alright, could you sit with me?'

And just like that she made his world bright again.

...

It was stupid to come here, she thought. She didn't even fix herself, her hair was probably a mess from all that running, not to mention she was wearing cross training sneakers underneath her gown. She must look a sight and Recca would probably laugh at her when he saw her. What in the world made her think this was a good idea?

She turned around, ready to head home and change so she could meet Recca for ice cream later on and just pretend this whole lapse in judgment never happened. She was barely two steps away when she heard her name from the last person she wanted to see her like this.

'Fuuko, don't leave,' he said in a pleading voice that she didn't quite understand.

'Mi-chan,' she sighed, slowly turning around. He looked so sharp and handsome in his tux, a complete three sixty from her own get up. 'Shouldn't you be inside?'

'I needed some air,' he said, never taking his eyes off her. 'Aren't you going to come inside?'

She shook her head and laughed hollowly. 'No, just had a momentary episode of mental retardation.'

'What?'

'Come on, I look like a walking SNL sketch,' she joked.

He shook his head. 'I think you look...fine.'

She lifted her skirt and showed him her sneakers.

He smirked at her. 'It adds character to your entire ensemble.'

'Thanks, I guess,' she said with a blush, 'but I should really go. I just feel out of place here.'

He walked up to her and offered his hand. 'Won't you at least dance? Just one dance, it wouldn't hurt.'

She hesitated at his proffered hand. 'I'm not going in there.'

'We can hear the music from here,' he convinced her. He watched her eyes still dancing with indecision and added, 'Don't let the dress go to waste.'

She laughed a genuinely mirthful laugh before finally caving and taking his hand. 'I'm a terrible dancer by the way.'

'It's alright, I'll lead,' he assured her as he brought her closer. 'You're turning eighteen this year as well, why weren't you part of the cotillion?' he asked out of curiosity.

'Oh please,' she said casually although he couldn't mistake the nervous tick in her jaw, 'like I have the time to bother.'

He nudged her forehead with his chin to make her look up at him. 'Fuuko, you're standing outside the pavilion in a yellowing dress and sneakers. There's no need to pretend with me.'

Her mask faltered and he couldn't help but notice how young she looked without the firm expression that was always on her face. She worried her lower lip before whispering lowly, 'Nobody asked me.'

For a moment she let her defenses fall, showing him a side of her that no one every bothered to see but before he could see into every secret, every doubt and every insecurity she put it up again, weakly, but she tried to put it up again nonetheless. 'It's not like I would've come anyway, I mean, I have too many things going on with my life, like school and training and reviewing for the NMA entrance exams-' he cut off her tirade with a thumb to her lips before letting it trail down to her chin, guiltily enjoying the feel of her skin.

'It's okay, Fuuko, to want the frilly things sometimes, it wouldn't make you less of a warrior. You would still be as strong, still be as courageous and anyone who says otherwise, I'll gut them for you,' he said.

'Swear?' she said with a chuckle.

'With all my heart,' he whispered.

It was intoxicating being this close to her, her flaming heat making him shiver. It was as if the intensity of her eyes made the world around him melt and nothing that came before her made sense anymore. There were no duties, no parents to please, no fiancée to hurt and his eyes fluttered and he let his head fall wanting so much to taste passion and freedom that only she could give him. But he only felt the warmth of her breath before she pulled away from his embrace.

'Don't hurt my cousin, Mi-chan,' she said, a glazed look in her eyes and he knew as well as she did that the words were not just for him but for herself.

He wanted to say something, to apologize or to protest, he wasn't sure. But before he could even decide the moment was put to an end as the distinctive sound of a bomb erupted from inside the pavilion.

_To Be Continued..._

**END NOTES** - sorry about the Tok/Yan kiss, it was necessary. And yay, action next chapter. And I hope you like to ToFuu parts as much as I did, I just really like how they're developing here.


	5. When The Levee Breaks

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Pity me!

**Author's Notes: **Um, so sorry for the delay but I am back and there will be regular updates. My computer was in the shop for a while and it took me a while to get back into the groove of things and I had to re-read my own fic to remember what exactly I was writing about, haha. Anyway I hope everyone enjoys this. **Thanks for reading in advance and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Four: When the Levee Breaks**

It was as if the whole nation was cloaked in darkness. The sun continued to shine through the clouds but each and every resident of Nashikiri seemed to have a shade cast down on their eyes.

Everyone was in mourning.

Their leader was no more.

…

"_Stay back Recca," Ouka warned his son, "this is not your fight."_

_Recca looked from the toughened muscles of his father's back to the cloaked figure standing mightily on the banister. The stranger's face hid behind a silver mask and only through his striking blue eyes was Recca able to tell that it was a real person behind the red cloth and not some statue. His lips were covered but it was almost as if Recca could feel the malicious smirk painted on his face. _

_In the tense silence, Recca heard the steady drip of blood falling on the marble floor. He turned his head once more to the Hokage leader and saw the massive wound that slashed diagonally from his right shoulder and ended on his hips._

"_Dad, you're hurt," Recca argued. Words were not needed, he needed to stay and fight beside his father. _

"_You have to take her to safety," the elder Hanabishi said, not once taking his eyes from the malevolent being above them._

_It was only then that Recca remembered the soft figure beside him, her nails digging into his arm and shaking in fear. Recca had foolishly told her to stick by him when he should've herded her to the nearest exit. He wanted to punch himself for his brashness and stupidity, trying to play the hero and being proven once more to be nothing but a nuisance._

"_Go, Recca," Ouka said with finality. With a flick of his wrist his right hand shone with his bright orange flame. "Now."_

_Recca could do nothing more than to grab the catatonic girl beside him as he reluctantly ran for the nearest exit. Before the door closed behind him Recca turned his head to see his father's flames burn brighter than Recca had ever seen before, seemingly engulfing him in holy fire. That picture will forever be burned into his memory._

…

"I still say that the boy is much too young! He is a teenager, he has no experience and has no grasp of responsibility! How can you possibly sit there and expect him to be able to run this country?" said a man cropped black hair and wolfish black eyes.

Fujimaro Kirisawa clenched his gloves fists above the table as he tried to hold back from his baser instincts, lest he lunge over the oak desk and strangle the country's finance chief. "This is not up for discussion. Recca is the rightful and legal heir to the throne and the military will have his full support."

"Be that as it may," the man began once more after drawing a puff of smoke from his pipe, "There is more to the leadership of this nation than throwing a shuriken and kunai. The boy has not even finished schooling and has no grasp on the intricacies and implications of politics and economy!"

"And what do you propose we do, Mr. Saito?"

The man, Saito, dropped his pipe as he heard the stern but decidedly feminine voice that seemed to have snuck up from out of nowhere. He turned his head to see the widow of Ouka Hanabishi standing by the open door dressed in a plain black kimono, her obsidian hair pulled tightly in a bun.

"I-I…"

"My husband has yet to be buried and here you are already trying to overthrow the government he had so painstakingly built in his thirty years as the leader of the Hokage clan," Kagerou said swiftly, not allowing the man time to respond, as she glided inside the room and righteously took her place at the head of the oak desk.

"Kagerou-sama," Saito struggled to respond as he haphazardly stood up and bowed his head, "That is not my intention, please. I was simply pointing out-"

Kagerou cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I heard you earlier and you do make some valid points." Saito gave a sigh of relief but she was not finished. "However, holding a meeting discussing such important matters could be taken as treason. Unless you would like to spend the next thirty years in a prison cell, I trust you not to make the same mistake in the future."

Saito, feeling thoroughly chastised, could only nod.

Kagerou turned to the man on her right, the severe expression on her face softening somewhat. "Fujimaro, thank you for informing me of this little meeting in a timely manner and for your stringent defense of my son. However, Saito-san does make some valid arguments, Recca is much too young and volatile and cannot be expected to fully and successfully assume the leadership of this nation."

Saito smirked while Fujimaro glared at him.

"But my son is not just some run of the mill teenager. He has inherited his father's courage and loyalty to this country. With the proper tutelage and guidance, I have no doubt that he will surpass his father's leadership. He may not be ready now, but he will be. With that said, I would like to remind you all that I am Recca's mother and legal guardian and therefore have the right to assume the title of leader until such a time comes. I trust that you both, as chiefs of finance and defense, respectively, will continue your support as you have done so in the past with my husband. Is that clear?" She looked at Saito pointedly as if daring him to challenge her decision.

"Of course, Kagerou-sama," Saito answered promptly.

"Mine and my family's support and loyalty will always be to your family, Kagerou-sama," Fujimaro said.

"I'm glad we have that cleared. If there are no more questions, I would request that you give us this time to grieve for my husband," Kagerou said. She stood up without waiting for a response and left the room.

…

Fuuko knocked gingerly on the white wood of his door and waited patiently for a response. She received none, just as she expected and so she brought out a key and unlocked the door before carefully slipping inside.

"Leave me alone," she heard his gruff voice, devoid of emotion.

Anyone else would've promptly heeded the request, but she was Fuuko and this was Recca and she never followed orders from him. She quietly locked the door behind her before approaching his crouched form on the king sized bed steadily.

"This is the last night of the wake. People are starting to ask why you haven't made an appearance," she said.

"I could care less what people think," he said without looking up.

Fuuko bent down to remove her sneakers before climbing up on the bed. She knelt in front of him, her knees touching his bare feet, trying to speak with her warmth what she couldn't say with her words.

"Don't you want to see him, Recca?" she asked.

"You don't understand, Fuuko. I can't see him, I just can't…it just…it just," his words failed him as disheartening sobs broke out of his lips and he cried into his arms.

Fuuko wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I know, sweetie, I know."

"No you don't!" he lashed out at her.

Fuuko cupped Recca's chin and settled her forehead against his, forcing him to look into her eyes. "You're my best friend Recca, and I love you. When you hurt, I hurt. Don't push me away."

Recca broke into violent tears and wrapped his arms so tight around her waist she thought she might break. She cradled his head in the nook of her shoulders and let his tears seep into her shirt. "How can I see him?" he whispered through his sobs. "I failed him Fuuko, I failed him!"

Fuuko shook her head even though he can't see her. "Your Dad wanted you to live, he needed to make sure you lived. Because he knew, you were the only one who could continue what he couldn't finish. Trust your father, Recca. Trust how much he loves you, he would never ever want you to think that."

"I want to see him, I want to say goodbye, I want to tell him how much I love him," he sniffled.

"Then do that, Recca. I'll come with you, I'll hold your hand," she promised with a smile.

He lifted his head up and placed his hands on her cheeks. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably go and get yourself killed," she answered with a weak laugh.

He managed an insincere snicker before placing his lips on her forehead. "I love you, you know," he whispered against her skin.

She nodded. "I know."

…

"_Stay here, Fuuko," Tokiya commanded going into full alpha male mode as he rushed towards the sound of the explosion._

"_Like I'm going to do that." Fuuko managed to roll her eyes before sprinting after him._

_The two madogu wielders expertly weaved through the sudden of stampede of civilians that were rushing out of the pavilion in the opposite direction they were heading. When they had reached the front doors of the building the crowd had already thinned out. _

_Fuuko rushed forward in front of Tokiya and headed for the front doors, dead set on going inside. Her heart beat against her ribcage at the thought of her family and friends that may still be inside._

_She reached for the knob but a hand settled heavily on hers, stopping any movement. _

"_What are you doing here, Fuuko?"_

_In the melee she somehow did not sense the presence of the elder ninja she had admired since she was a child._

"_Raiha!" she exclaimed in relief. "What happened? I think my family's still inside and so is Recca."_

"_You shouldn't worry about them, Fuuko, you should go back home where it is safe," he said calmly._

_Too calmly._

_It was at that moment that she felt Tokiya's presence right behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know that he had already activated his Ensui._

"_Stand down," she said calmly, "This is Raiha. He's a friend." _

_Yet something told Fuuko deep in her gut that this was no longer true. _

"_Go home, Fuuko," Raiha repeated, "It is not time yet."_

_She looked down at his hand that still held hers. "Where did you get those blisters Raiha?" she asked. For the first time in her life, she felt dread in his presence._

_A wicked smile and a sudden pull was all she could remember before her world suddenly blacked out._

…

Tokiya sat on his bed, his eyes glued to the television screen in front of him as it reported on the gruesome attack of four days past. There were twenty casualties, sixteen civilians, three ninjas and one great leader.

His parents had called him and begged him to come home. There have been rumors of a planned coup, a hostile take over yet no one knew for sure. Oh he was sure there was something malevolent in the horizon. This was just the beginning, a warning of things to come. Whoever were the instigators behind the attack have yet to make themselves and their reasons known, but he had no doubt that they will in the coming days. This was just a reprieve.

But he denied his family their pleas. He was a ninja, not just any ninja, he held the legacy of the Ensui. He had a duty to protect these people. And he had a need to stay beside _her_.

He heard a scratching sound outside his window and when he turned to look he saw her standing there, looking as if she were in a daze.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," she said shyly, her arms crossed over her chest as if she were cold.

"How have you been?" he asked as if it was common occurrence for her to be in his room in the middle of the night.

The last time he had seen her she was still unconscious. He promptly caught her in his arms when the elder ninja, the one she called Raiha so familiarly, knocked her out. He forgot everything else and took her to safety. At that point army men and paramedics had reached the scene and after recognizing Fuuko, they took her from him and assured him that they would take care of her.

He had tried to seek her out, wanting desperately to know if she was alright. He finally learned from Yanagi's mother that Fuuko was staying with the Hanabishi's for the meantime and were surrounded by heavy security. They were both children of high profile members of the community and their safety were of utmost priority.

Tokiya brushed off Mrs. Sakoshita's suspicious glance at him when it was only then that he had bothered to ask how Yanagi was. She had promptly told him that Yanagi came out fine, Recca Hanabishi took care of her and brought her to safety.

His thoughts were cut off with the shuffling of Fuuko's feet. "I'm good, I guess." She licked her dry lips and his heart broke at the red puffs around her eyes. "My Dad told me to go back home and rest for the funeral tomorrow."

He only nodded and moved forward until he was a breath away from her form. "He's right. You look tired," he said as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

It was as if she didn't hear him and she continued speaking. "I lost two people that day." One was a father figure, the other was half responsible for his death. She didn't need to tell him.

"They say that he was the one who set off the explosion. I don't understand it, I trusted him. We all trusted him."

When she choked back a sob, he could do nothing more than gather her in his arms and let her cry quietly against his chest. He rubbed her back until the shaking of her shoulders calmed down and continued to hold her as she hung limply against him, her hands fisted against his shirt.

"I can't cry in front of Recca, I have to be strong for him," she said, as if trying to explain to him why she was there, why she was letting him hold her.

"But you're hurting too," he said and a fresh wave of tears flowed out of her eyes.

"It hurts so much, I just want it to stop hurting so much," she said again and again between muffled sobs.

He didn't know how long he stood there, he didn't really care. He would do everything that he can to try and make her pain stop. He held her tightly as if trying to absorb even just the little bit of burden in her heart.

Fuuko's arms slowly let go of his shirt and wrapped around his waist and he didn't think it was possible but somehow she pushed herself even closer against him. And he knew it was wrong and he knew she was vulnerable and she wasn't thinking right but when he felt her soft lips place kisses on his neck on his chin, he didn't think twice about leaning his head down and catching her sweet lips with his. Because she needed him and he couldn't ever deny her. And because he needed her. He needed her so, so much.

And when she asked him, no, begged him, to make her feel better, he pushed back thoughts of another girl (and he felt more guilty that it was so, so easy to forget) and he opened his mouth over hers, urging her to do the same before tasting her, devouring her whole. And dear god it was so good.

And when she clawed at his clothes and prayed for the pain to stop, the hurt to go away he didn't hesitate to touch her so wantonly, take off their clothes and lead her to the bed. And when they tumbled on his bed, somehow innocent in their nakedness, somehow he knew it was temporary and there just might be more pain after this but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Because she needed this. And he needed her. And to him, she was the only thing that mattered.

_To be continued..._

**A/N**: Whew! I'm quite happy with how this turned out. I had half a mind to give in to a little Rec/Fuu but Tokiya would have hit my head with a bat. I've been going back and forth regarding going in this direction, I have always pictured that this was how it would happen but I wanted to skip the drama, but I couldn't because it felt so right writing that part. So anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	6. How Many More Times

**Disclaimer:** Nothing has changed, I still don't own Flame of Recca. Also (as with the previous chapter where I forgot to mention it) How Many More Times is a song by Led Zepplin. All chapters will be titled after Led Zeppelin songs. Because I need a soundtrack for everything.

**Author's Notes: **Yay new chapter! Thanks so much to your feedback: **champylin **(they did actually, already but I had to make it subtle in keeping up with the rating, hee) **kyLaaa** (it took a while, but I couldn't abandon the fic, I had so much more in store for them) **SnowCharms** (Aw, don't hate so much on Raiha, bb! He's not as bad as you think) **abubi-chan **(Yes, there will be a bit more drama in the coming chappies, but no worries, I'll still find ways for them to have fun :D) **OD-chan **(my stalker! Haha! Ooh, I missed writing ASOC, and yup there's so much going on already, RecFuu just seems unnecessary and contrived if I went that way) **khyrzzie baby **(I hope you like your new nickname :p wah, I distracted you from work! As for the lemon, I don't actually have one written but I might do one just for you, hehe and I'm gonna go check on your fic after I upload this) **aki reinhart **(I miss you too! Yes they did! Insert evil laughter here!) **Anne Raven **(wow, I'm so glad that I could drive someone to start writing ToFuu! I'll go check out your fics after this :D Three things, I LOVE writing Recca and Fuuko friendship so I'm glad you liked. Yanagi, no worries I have something planned for her as well. And Kurei, I have a lot planned for him.) **violin girl **(it feels great to be back! I'm glad you liked the chappie!) **the pink martini **(thanks so much!) **kyusetsuki satsuki **(thank you baby!) **satomika **(Heh, I couldn't remember my plot that well either and had to do a re-read to build the plot in my head once more. Aw sweetie, well I honestly thought Tokiya would've been a horrible character if he didn't think of Yanagi). Anyway, onto the chapter! **Thanks in advance for reading and please don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Five: How Many More Times**

"Does it hurt?" Tokiya asked.

He could feel her smile as she kissed his hands.

"Not so much anymore. Just a little sore," Fuuko whispered.

He tightened his arms around her and kissed her bare shoulder almost reverently. "I'm sorry."

Fuuko reached back and patted his hip as if to comfort him. "It's really not your fault. It's more like physiology's way of fucking over women."

He grinned. "You're funny."

…

"You're kidding right?"

"Well, now that you're looking at me like I'm a freak show, I really wish I was," Tokiya said, looking thoroughly affronted.

At this point Fuuko didn't bother to hide her soft guffaws. "I just can't believe that knitting is your secret talent."

"I grew up in the mountains with only my sister as a constant playmate. I should be glad I didn't pick up her talent in applying make-up," he said seriously.

"Ne, Mi-chan, I'm cold, you think you can knit me a sweater?" she chided.

"Shut up." But he pulled her closer and cocooned her in his body to keep her warm anyway.

…

"I make the best mac and cheese in town! I swear!" she proclaimed as he looked at her incredulously.

"You don't seem like the cooking type," he teased.

Fuuko huffed and crossed her arms under her breasts. The movement distracted Tokiya and he let his eyes travel south, ogling her shamelessly, before she smacked him gently under his chin to make him look up. "I got the recipe from my mom. She only used the best and most expensive of cheeses. None of that cheap cheddar stuff."

"Is that so?"

"I'll make some for you one of these days and then you can stop doubting me," she said with finality.

"Is that a promise?" he asked hopefully.

Fuuko nodded, the twinkle in her eyes palpable. Tokiya moved his head closer to hers and claimed her lips in a kiss. His mouth moved sinuously against hers and the moment her lips parted his tongue slipped in between her sweet skin and tangled with hers.

"Mmm, sweet," he hummed against her mouth. They broke the kiss but their faces remained close, their noses bumping softly against each other's. "I bet you still taste better, though."

Fuuko snickered before snuggling up to him and joining their lips once more, effectively shutting him up.

…

In the night when they could only see the glistening sweat of skin and the frosted moonlight on the sheets, it was easy to pretend that they were just two teenagers both so hopelessly infatuated and discovering and exploring their first tastes of pleasure with each other. But in the harsh light of day, neither could deny the truth.

Tokiya could no longer suppress the guilt that loomed in his chest since the moment he'd kissed her. No, the guilt was there long before that, it was there the moment he'd laid eyes on her two months back when he visited Nashikiri a second time. It was there the moment he realized that he could never, ever stay away from her.

The sunlight filtered through his eyelashes and his eyes fluttered open. He looked down at the slumbering wind master tangled in his limbs and reveled at the soft curves of her face and supple form of her body. He had been attracted to her from the very beginning. It wasn't just that she was beautiful (and sexy, damn, he never thought women could ever be made that way), but it was her strength and passion for her craft that drew him in. He should've stayed away from her, let the infatuation remain what it was. But no, he went and sought her out, cried for her attention and got to know everything about her and in turn let her see every side of him. God bless his soul but she must've seen something good. He had only suspected at first, from her shy glances when they talked during classes and her intimate yet innocent touches when they would spar. But now he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had made a mark on her heart just as deeply as she had made a home in his. But his situation…it wasn't fair to Fuuko. And it wasn't fair to Yanagi. Something in his heart clenched at the reminder of his betrothed.

If he had never met Fuuko, perhaps he could've gone on and learned to love Yanagi, maybe they could've lived happily even. Perhaps not as deeply and not as much, but then he wouldn't have known that life could be so much more. But it was too late now. All he could do at this point was to rectify the situation.

"I have to go. I need to prepare for the funeral." He felt more than heard the soft voice against his chest.

He hugged her tightly and buried his nose in her hair, enjoying the sweet fragrance of apples. "We still need to talk."

She shook her head. "We will. But not now, alright?"

Fuuko slithered away from his embrace with a sigh. He watched her quietly as she picked up her clothes on the floor and dressed. The slight limp in her walk betrayed their activities from the previous night. When she had buttoned up her denim jeans she turned to him once more and sat on the bed, facing him. Her hand reached for his face and she let her index finger trace his face from his forehead to the aristocratic point of his nose and finally landing on his lips. "Mi-chan, thanks."

Tokiya kissed her finger tip softly. "Anything for you."

Fuuko nodded, a thoughtful smile gracing her face before she stood up and exited through his still open window.

…

Recca stared up at the minister performing the services for his father's funeral, a glacial expression on his face. His mother sat beside him, her face obscured by an opaque black veil that extended down to the top of her chest. Fuuko sat on his left, keeping her promise and holding on to his hand tightly. He felt a hand clamp over his shoulder and knew that Domon was on the pew behind him. Domon had never been good with words but Recca could feel the sorrow the overgrown boy felt.

Recca appreciated it really, the support and love he got from his family and his best friends. But he still felt alone even with the hundreds of people that mourned with him.

He lost his father. And the worst part of it was that he had no idea why. He knew he had been killed, by a masked man with a murderous glare. Recca had felt the absolute anger and hatred that the stranger had directed solely at his father and his mind just couldn't understand it.

Ouka was the kindest man Recca had ever known all his life. He was fair and generous to his people and he was even merciful to his enemies. Whenever they engaged in battles with warring nations, his father had always instilled in his men that every life is worth being saved. A warrior is never to meet death unless it was the absolute last and most desperate option.

So even now Recca could not understand the vitriol and enmity that seemed to seep out of the skin of his father's murderer; hatred so strong that even now it kept Recca awake at night, twisting fitfully between his sheets. It wasn't a simple mutiny; there was something more, something deeper for that stranger to feel that much hate for his father. He needed to find answers. He needed to find them soon.

…

Recca held on to the casket's handles tightly with one hand while Fuuko's father Fujimaro balanced the weight on the other side. Domon and Shigeo, his father's childhood friend, brought up the rear. The foursome paced slowly up to the hill that would be his father's final resting place. The hill was at the edge of the local cemetery and overlooked the rest of the other tombstones of civilians and ninjas who have passed away. Even in death, Ouka would be watching over his people.

Recca and the others carefully set the coffin on the metal contraption that would lower Ouka's remains six feet below the ground. Recca put his hands inside the pocket of his black slacks before taking his place between Fuuko and his mother. He immediately grabbed onto Fuuko's hand, welcoming the strength she offered.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to remember and celebrate the life of a great man who dedicated his whole self to ensure the safety and prosperity of the people of Nashikiri," the minister began.

Recca put his head down and shut his eyes tightly to will away the tears coming forth. His mother's hand settled heavily on his back and he wondered just how much worse she felt. He loved his father but it was different with his mother. He always knew, at some point, that he would be independent from his family and that he would separate from his parents and begin again on his own. His mother though, his father was Kagerou's entire life.

The afternoon went by in a blur and one by one, their sympathizers left until only Recca, his mother, Shigeo, Fuuko and her family and Domon were left. Fuuko and Domon stood to one side, whispering to each other, probably thinking up ways to entertain Recca so he won't go once more into a bout of depression. His mother, Shigeo and the rest of Fuuko's family stood in a circle discussing god knows what. Recca stood alone in front of the freshly dug soil over his father's resting place.

Recca felt a presence walk up to him and he turned to see Yanagi, shyly making her way beside him. She was dressed in a simple black dress with her hair tied in a neat plait that flowed down her back.

"I'm sorry," she began meekly, "I'm really sorry, Recca-kun."

"It's not your fault," he said.

Yanagi looked up at him a bit shocked that he could read her mind so easily.

"I know you blame yourself," he explained.

She looked down, an embarrassed blush settling on her cheeks. "If I hadn't been so weak…"

"Neither of us drove that sword into his heart. I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself," he said kindly.

Yanagi nodded. "Your father, he was really amazing. I wish I could've gotten to know him."

Recca smiled at her. "I think he would've liked you."

She bit her lip at his tiny compliment. "I can't really offer much but if there's anything I can do for you, anything…"

"I like sweets," Recca cut her off.

Yanagi's head shot up at his sudden announcement. Her brows furrowed in askance.

"Ice cream, chocolates, muffins, they make me feel better," he continued, "Fuuko told me once that your blueberry cheesecake is the best in town."

She smiled brightly up at him. "I'll bake some tonight for you."

…

School resumed the following Monday, nine days after Ouka Hanabishi's death. The fate of the nation was still unclear, no one knew what was happening and if there would be further threat to the country's security but at the moment the national board had issued the missive that life should continue as normally as it possibly could while they investigate the matter.

Tokiya leafed through his notes for his Madougu Theory class. It was his first class for the day and Fuuko was yet to arrive which he found strange, she was always early. He wondered if she was avoiding him. He hadn't had a chance to see her seeing as she had been cooped up at her home since the funeral. He didn't think it would be well accepted if he just showed up at her door demanding to see her.

Just as the bell rang, Fuuko came rushing inside the room. Their teacher, Master Kuukai, came in a few steps behind her. She took her regular seat beside him, and mouthed a silent 'Later' to him when she sensed that he was about to speak. Tokiya rolled his eyes, it wasn't like he was going to start talking about their situation in the middle of class; he was just going to ask her how she'd been. The lesson commenced as soon as Master Kuukai dropped his giant notebook ledger. Once the bell rang Fuuko bolted out the door before Tokiya could even blink. Well, she was definitely avoiding him, that part he knew now. He would just have to corner her after school.

By lunch time Tokiya had seen neither hide nor hair of Fuuko. The girl was incredibly adept at making herself scarce when she put her mind to it. He himself hid in the library. Yanagi had been calling him, possibly wondering why he wasn't joining her for lunch as he normally would. He simply sent a text message saying that he had to study and for her to go on ahead without him.

There were only two other students in the library, a nerdy freshman kid with round black rimmed glasses and another senior like him who Tokiya remembered was in his Madougu Theory class. His name was Saicho, if Tokiya recalled correctly.

He took a seat in the farthest table at the back near the periodicals section. He took out his books and prepared to review for his next class. A few minutes passed when he felt someone take the seat in front of him.

"Mikagami, right?" a deep and gruff voice said.

Tokiya looked up and was surprised to find himself face to face with Fuuko's gorilla like friend. He composed himself well enough to nod before he said, "Ishijima Domon?"

The boy grinned from ear to ear, "You go that right."

Tokiya cleared his throat. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Domon pulled out the toothpick resting between his thick lips before speaking. "I just wanted to say thanks man."

Tokiya furrowed his eyebrows. That was definitely the last thing he expected to hear.

Domon adopted a very serious look. "Fuuko told me what happened at the ball thing. Just wanted to express my gratitude for taking care of her."

"I didn't really do anything," Tokiya answered. He wasn't being modest; he just felt that he really didn't do much to warrant a thank you.

Domon gave him that shit eating grin once more. "Well, you took her to safety and you didn't leave her when Raiha showed up. Anyone else would've run for the hills, that asshole's a creepy mofo."

"I would've never left her there," Tokiya answered truthfully.

Domon nodded. "You know, I like to perv on her and shit, but Fuuko's one of my best friends. We know she can take care of herself, but me and Recca, we like to watch out for her. I'm glad you were there when neither of us couldn't be this time."

Tokiya urged him to continue with a look, he wasn't sure exactly what the burly boy was getting to.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know you ain't got a lot of friends in this town being new and all. But since you were there for Fuuko, well I consider you an ally. So if you ever get into any trouble, I got your back." Domon held out his hand.

Tokiya considered the offer for a moment before finally shaking Domon's hand. It was nice, he thought, to have one more friend.

…

Fuuko stealthily peered from behind the lockers to make sure that the hallway was clear. It wasn't like she was avoiding Tokiya. She was just trying to prolong the inevitable. To be honest, she hadn't had the time to think about Tokiya the past couple of days. Between constantly supplying Recca with sweets (seriously, he was such a girl) and conspiring with Domon of ways to entertain Recca to keep his mind off his father's death, she simply didn't have the energy.

But last night, when her father had finally forced her to come home and stay in her own bed, her mind crashed with thoughts of him. She honestly wasn't sure what he was going to say when they finally talk. She had half a mind to skip school altogether, but she wasn't about to break her record for her perfect attendance for anyone, including extremely good looking and well endowed men. Fuuko groaned, this wasn't the time to think about that.

Fuuko wasn't sure what scared her more; the thought of Tokiya leaving her cousin for her or him telling her that it was a mistake and they both should forget about it.

And then there was Yanagi. A heavy weight tugged painfully in her heart whenever she thought of her cousin. The last thing that Fuuko wanted was to hurt her. But she couldn't help herself…Tokiya was in her heart too. And that thought made Fuuko feel like she was the most horrid person on the planet.

Fuuko slowly traipsed down the hallway when she felt hard muscles press behind her back as a hand clamped over her mouth while the other wrapped around her torso. The figure quickly pulled them inside an empty broom closet.

"Damn it, Mi-chan! What're you trying to do give me a heart attack?" she squealed as soon as he let go of his hold on her mouth.

Tokiya locked the door behind him and pulled the switch for the tiny yellow bulb above them. "Well if you hadn't been trying to avoid me all day, I wouldn't have needed to go to extreme measures," he drawled smoothly.

"I wasn't," she huffed before looking away guiltily.

They remained like that, with Fuuko standing with her arms crossed over her chest and Tokiya leaning against the door for a couple of minutes before Tokiya decided to speak.

"I'm calling my parents tonight. I'm breaking off the engagement."

Fuuko hid her face in her hands and promptly burst into tears.

Tokiya panicked, this wasn't exactly the reaction he had in mind. Well, he wasn't sure what he expected, to be honest, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't involve crying. It only took half a step to reach her in the cramped broom closet. He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to peer into her face. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I wanted you to say that! I'm such a horrible person!" she screamed between muffled sobs.

"You're not. I'm the one who's horrible. I'm a contemptuous cheating bastard and I can't stop myself because I want to be with you," he said seriously.

She peeled her hands away from her face and looked up at him. "I hate this."

Tokiya wrapped his arms around her waist and settled his forehead on hers. "I can't really say I do. I wish there was another way, I wish I wouldn't have to hurt anyone because you and Yanagi both deserve better. But it is what it is and the only thing I know right now is I don't want to lose you. And if that makes me a selfish bastard, then so it is."

"That makes two of us," she murmured.

He swooped in and kissed her roughly, letting her feel just how much he meant it when he said he wanted to be with her. "I missed you so much."

"Me too," she whispered and let him claim her lips in another kiss.

"My family's going to hate me," she mouthed as his lips trailed kisses along her jaw.

"They're not," he assured, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"They're probably going to hate you a lot more," she said as she played with hairs on his nape.

"I know," he surrendered.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" she asked in a small voice.

It took all his self control but he pulled away from the sweet taste of her neck. He gripped her jaws gently in his hands and made her look up in his eyes. "I meant it when I said I wanted to be with you. But regardless of whether or not you would've stayed with me, I would've broken off the engagement. Yanagi, she's a good girl, and she deserves someone who would love her and be devoted to her completely. I can never be that man."

Somehow that just made her fall for him deeper. She buried her head in his chest and embraced him tightly. "I'm still scared, though."

He let out a deep breath and kissed her temple. "I won't rush you into anything. I know you have so much more to risk than I do. I'm prepared to wait. I won't lose you."

Tokiya felt her nod against his chest as she clung to him tighter. "You won't," she promised.

…

Recca pulled at the starched collar of his white dress shirt irritably. His mother had insisted he wear a suit for this occasion. They had argued a full ten minutes about his choice of clothes before he finally relented and donned the black suit and tie. Mothers and their voodoo ways, honestly he didn't know how she always got him to do her bidding.

He shifted uncomfortably in the hot leather chair. His mother was sitting on an identical chair beside him. They were waiting for his father's lawyer inside his dark and dank office filled with dusty leather bound books and bulky oak furniture. The mother and son were summoned for the will reading.

"Stop fidgeting, Recca," his mother admonished.

"It's hot, and wool makes me itchy," he argued petulantly.

To be honest, Recca didn't even want to be here. He didn't care about how they were going to divide his father's assets. It wasn't like he didn't already have his own money. A disgustingly huge trust was already set up for him not to mention the money he had inherited from his grandparents meant that he already owned more money than most small countries. Not that he really cared. Okay, maybe he cared a little bit, he was seventeen and he liked gadgets and those things cost money.

The old geezer finally decided to grace them with his presence. Toru Kobayashi, Recca gauged, was probably as old as Mt. Fuji and constantly smelled like efficascent oil. He also was the slowest person on the planet and it literally took him four and a half minutes to walk from the door to his chair situated behind his darkly varnished desk.

"Kobayashi-san," Kagerou greeted graciously and bowed her head slightly.

"Nice to see you're still not dead, old man," Recca said. His mother swiftly pinched his elbow.

"Ne, ne, Kagerou, the youth of today are such rambunctious and witty lots," the barrister said good naturedly as he took his seat. He cleared his throat extensively, and Recca turned green at the sickening sounds of phlegm and snot that seemed to be gurgling inside the old man's lungs. "Actually Kagerou, before we begin the formal reading of Ouka's will, there are some things I would like to discuss with you first. I would need for Recca to step outside for a moment."

Kagerou looked up at Toru with questioning eyes, but the gravity of the man's request could not be denied. If Kobayashi wanted Recca out of the room it had to be for a pretty important reason.

Without looking at her son, Kagerou spoke, "Recca, can you wait in the foyer for a bit? I'll have someone summon you once you're needed."

Recca raised an eyebrow at his mother before shrugging and heeding her request. He stood up and headed out the room. He shut the door behind him and walked a few feet away before decidedly turning back. He wasn't stupid; the look between his mother and the lawyer's eyes was secretive. There was something that they didn't want him to hear and that was all the encouragement he needed to push him to find out. He waited a minute or two before he stealthily crept back to the office and pressed his ear to the door. His heightened sense of hearing allowed him to hear the conversation clearly as if he himself was inside.

"Does he know about him?" he heard the gravelly voice of Toru.

It took a second or two for his mother to answer. "He has no idea."

"You will have to tell him about Kurei, he will need to know who it is that he's sharing his inheritance with," Toru said with finality.

Kurei…where did Recca hear that name before?

"What do you mean Kobayashi-san?"

Recca tried to rack his brain, he had heard that name before, he was sure of it. He closed his eyes and a blinding swath of blue flame flashed through his mind.

"_Yanagi, stick by me, okay? We'll find Dad first," Recca commanded as he dragged the girl behind him, weaving through a barrage of panicking masses. With sheer determination he located his father, standing a ways away from the dispersing crowd looking up the mezzanine of the pavilion, a gut wrenching expression filled with guilt stained his face._

"I presume then that Ouka had not informed you of the change in his will?"

"_I see you're doing well for yourself, Ouka," the voice sneered. _

_Ouka Hanabishi's shoulders hunched but his eyes remained focused on the intruder. His mouth opened and spoke one word, one word that filled the air with so much anguish and sorrow. One that made his father's eyes glimmer with tears. _

_What was it?_

"Ouka came to me about a year ago. He said he wanted to make things right. What happened years before was something that went beyond his control and this was the only thing he could think of as penance for all the wrongs he made."

_What the fuck was it?_

"He said that what he couldn't have achieved this in life, at the very least in death he could leave his legacy to both his sons. Especially the one he has failed in the most spectacular of ways."

_Think, Recca, think!_

"Ouka has asked me to draw up a new will that would split his assets evenly between both his sons, Recca and Kurei."

"_Kurei…"_

"That is why it is important you tell Recca, Kagerou, of everything that happened eighteen years ago."

The door opened with a thunderous clang that reverberated inside the room. Kagerou turned her head to find Recca standing underneath the door's arch, his lips narrowed to a thin line and a defiant rapture in his eyes. His next words brooked no argument.

"Tell me what happened eighteen years ago, mother."

_To be continued..._

**End Author's Notes: **Whew! Honestly I'm a bit tempted to name the next chapter A brother from another mother...hehe. Next chapter will be mostly dedicated to Kurei's back story and furthering of the action plot. To be honest, while I absolutely adore writing ToFuu, I'm more excited to write about Kurei and Recca and Raiha. I'm finding them more interesting at the moment and I'm itching to further their story. Although I do still have a lot saved up for my ToFuu babies.

**Until next time! Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review!**


	7. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is Mine. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You is by Led Zeppelin

**Author's Notes: **This took a bit long to write as I got stuck in several places. I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written for any story. All mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it, it's a labor of L-O-V-E

**Special thanks to OD-chan** for discussing some aspects of the story with me and letting me ramble on with my Domon love :D Go Domon Appreciation club! (Where we are the only two members.)

**Thanks so much to my reviewers: thepinkmartini **(thanks so much!) **aki reinhart **(Angst kills me, and most writers get it wrong and think angst is about two idiots being stupid, which, well it is not. If they're going to have problems, it's not going to be from miscommunication, because Tokiya is not an idiot. There is so much more Kurei here, I hope you enjoy.) **Snowcharms **(Possibly she will, thanks for the review!) **abubi-chan **(Thank you! Ahaha, great minds think alike :p) **satomika **(aw, give Yanagi a chance. I mean I know she's not fleshed out right now, but she's not evil. I really like her and have a lot planned for her.) **kyusetsuki satsuki **(I'd like to think that I still kept some of Tokiya's essential characteristics in there. Like I said before, this is my deduction of what he would be like if none of his tragedies ever happened. And yes, I love Domon/Tokiya friendship, I loved writing that exchange ) **eirist **(Wow, thank you! RecFuu friendship is so fun to develop and write. The two of them just click so well so I'm glad you liked. And about the tragedy thing, death (particularly of someone close to you) has a certain effect on some people. It's that realization of mortality that drives you to do things that can make you feel alive and thus I thought it was natural for Fuuko to react that way. I plan to discuss this a bit in the next chapter.) **Anon **(thanks!) **khryzzie khryzzie **(pfft, spice it up, you just want porn! :p Hahahaha. I want another conference ) **champylin **(Thanks so much! Hope you like this chapter as well) **Anne Raven **(Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter since I delve really deeply into Kurei's backstory) **tofuu **(Here ya go!)

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Six: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You**

**Twenty Years before the bombing of Nashikiri, Tenth Year of Ouka Hanabishi's Reign**

A boy with messy, jet black hair and clear blue eyes carefully treaded through the rocky path leading to his home. He adjusted the heavy weight of his backpack, filled with his school books, as the strap bit painfully into the thin frame of his shoulders. He had always been teased for being a bit frail and short for his ripe age of eight. His mother told him that his uncle had been the same way when he was his age and now, well, let's just say that he was the strongest man in the entire land.

When the young lad reached the front porch of his modest, bungalow house, he smelled the delicious scent of frying fish. Using his free hand, he turned the knob and stepped inside the house, but not before meticulously wiping off the mud under the soles of his shoes on their old welcome rug.

"Mama!" he called out.

He heard light footsteps before a woman dressed in a rusty brown kimono came out from the direction of the kitchen. There was a fresh sheen of sweat on her forehead. She wiped her greasy hands from cooking calloused hands on her apron as she walked up to him. "How was school, darling?" she asked with a tired smile.

To be honest, school wasn't too fun. He was teased again for his old shoes and his math teacher yelled at him for forgetting his homework. He set his bag down on a small settee near the door before plastering a smile on his face and said, "It was good, Mama."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Why don't you go upstairs and change out of your school clothes while I set the table for dinner? I made your favorite."

Before he could answer there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for his mother the boy rushed to the door and opened it.

"Uncle Ouka!" the boy welcomed with positive gleam in his eyes as he barreled towards the visitor and hugged his middle tightly.

"Kurei," the man's deep voice greeted, "You are as energetic as ever." He bent downwards at the boy who only reached his stomach and hugged him tightly.

"I haven't seen you in so long, Uncle! I heard from my classmates that you were in a mission to the Middle East! Were you in a war? Did you battle people? What was it like? Was it very dangerous?" The boy steadily turned red as he excitedly bombarded their visitor with fervor.

Ouka simply laughed at the boy's enthusiasm and ruffled the hair on Kurei's head, messing it up even more. "Why don't I tell you about it over dinner? I've got pizza and chips. And then we can open the presents I got for you from the trip."

It was only then that Kurei noticed the pizza box that the man balanced on his hip and two big paper bags that were dropped on the floor.

Kurei eagerly turned to his mother. "Mama, can we have this for dinner instead?" he asked hopefully, bright blue eyes practically bulging out from his socket.

His mother tried to hide the flicker of resentment on her face as her son easily disregarded her home cooked dinner in favor of the yummy treat brought in by their visitor. Money was hard and she could rarely afford anything more than fish and vegetables on their table every meal. It would be selfish to deny her son of small joys like this. She nodded her head softly and instructed her son to go upstairs first to change and then he can eat.

Kurei bounded up for the hallway leading to his tiny room. As soon as the door clicked shut, the woman turned to their visitor and bowed her head politely. "Hanabishi-sama."

The man continued inside the house without waiting for an invitation. He haphazardly dropped the packages he brought on the square wooden dining table. "I wish you would stop addressing me with such formality, Reina."

He turned around to look at the woman still standing in the foyer, head bowed down slightly. Reina was two years younger than he was but time has not been kind to her. Soft lines appeared on her pallid skin and hair that used to be rich and thick was now thinning and peppered with gray strands.

"It would be improper to address you as anything else," she said softly.

Ouka Hanabishi regarded her with a thoughtful eye. Reina had softened much throughout the years. When he had first met here she was a stoic and unattainable beauty. Despite coming from a family with modest income, she was of noble birth and her regal bearing attested to that. It was a far cry from the woman standing in front of him right now.

He walked up to her and stood as closely as propriety would allow. "How are you and Kurei?"

She paused briefly before she answered, "We are thriving."

Ouka took her hand in his and felt the calloused skin. She had been working very hard, he could tell. "Let me help you and Kurei out, please."

The woman gently shook her head. "We can manage. The council is already unhappy with the fact that you visit with us from time to time, I doubt they would tolerate anything more than that."

"The council cannot dictate my actions!" he pronounced fervently.

"And yet Kurei and I are here," she quickly retorted, a hint of bitterness betraying her pleasant features.

Ouka turned his eyes away. There was nothing he could say to that.

He felt her hand rise up to cradle his cheek, a rare display of affection that she had taught herself to control throughout the years. "I understand that what happened was something you could not control. I have accepted it. I chose to remain with my son. I will protect him and take care of him for the both of us. What little you can give him, I truly appreciate. Do not feel the need to do more."

Ouka drew away from the comfort she offered. So much has been taken away from her already, and he would not take more.

"Mama, I can't find my new kunai! I want to show Uncle how good I've gotten at throwing them!" Kurei's energetic entrance was a welcome distraction. The pitter patter of his feet slowed to a halt as he saw his mother and his uncle looking like they were in the middle of something important. "Mama?"

Reina schooled her face into a wide grin. "Kurei-chan, I kept your kunai in the chest inside the pantry. You left them outside yesterday."

"Why don't we eat first and later you can show me what you got, eh sport?" Ouka said.

Kurei nodded and let his uncle pick him up like he weighed nothing and carry him to the dining area.

…

Kurei sat on the wooden armed chair inside his homeroom class. It was only seven in the morning but his mother had to go work at the new restaurant where she served in real early and she didn't want him alone at home so Kurei found himself alone in class instead. Classes were not to begin for another hour and so he busied himself with some light reading. His mother couldn't afford to buy him books not related to his studies so he was really glad for the school library. They had quite a collection and he was always borrowing books to take home to read. He was currently engrossed in a book about a bespectacled boy who found out he was a wizard on his eleventh birthday. Sometimes, Kurei liked to daydream that it would be the same for him, and a mysterious being would come into his life and he would find out he was really something special instead of his old boring self.

"Kurei-kun, you're early this morning!"

Kurei looked up from his book and discovered a boy about his age with long purple hair peering over his shoulder to see what he was reading.

"Good morning, Raiha-kun," he greeted as he carefully earmarked the page he was in and closed his book.

Raiha Endo was Kurei's only friend at Nashikiri Elementary. They were a curious pair. Raiha was a popular sort, he was quite becoming and tall for his age and he came from noble line of ninjas. He was very personable and well liked by his peers. He could've taken a pick of anyone to become his friends but he always chose the company of the obsidian haired boy who everyone avoided like the plague. When anyone would ask him why he continued to hang out with Kurei, he would simply say that Kurei was the first kind soul he met in kindergarten, and he will always be loyal to his friend.

"You're always reading a book, Kurei-kun. You should train more so we can enter the military academy together when we grow up," Raiha pronounced as he took the seat beside his friend.

Kurei shook his head vigorously. "That's not going to happen. I'm not a good ninja and you know I'm never gonna get a madogu like you. And besides," he hesitated a bit before continuing, "I think what I really want to do when I grow up is write books."

Raiha furrowed his eyebrows. "Books?"

"Yeah, you know like stories. I like to read a lot, and I think I'll be good at writing too. And I get really good marks in our language classes," he answered, feeling rather shy after his revelation.

"Have you ever written anything?" Raiha asked.

"Yeah, some. I write adventure stuff you know, like about wars and soldiers. Sometimes I write about wizards. Magic is cool," Kurei finished meekly.

The purple haired boy turned up his nose. "Being a ninja is cooler," he said but his mouth turned up slightly afterwards, "but you know, maybe you can let me read them sometime. Might be something."

Kurei smiled at his friend and nodded.

**Nineteen Years before the bombing of Nashikiri, Eleventh Year of Ouka Hanabishi's Reign**

The year had passed without much incident. Reina and Kurei lived peacefully in their little house, a little away from the village. Reina was promoted to an assistant manager position at the sushi restaurant where she worked. It still wasn't a lot but at least now she could afford to buy Kurei some new school shoes. Ouka still visited them as much as he could and brought presents for Kurei but they were usually something the boy would want but not necessarily need. She smiled ruefully; men can be such idiots about children sometimes. It's not that she ever went out of her way to tell Ouka what her son needed and she had always given back the thick envelop of cash he would try to sneak into the obi of her kimono (knowing full well she would deny it if he tried to hand it to her upfront), so she was satisfied that he could bring a smile to Kurei's face whenever he gave her son a luxury she cannot afford.

Reina frowned as she watched the clouds darken, the sun steadily descending towards the horizon. Kurei should've been home hours ago and yet she saw no sign of him still. She knew that sometimes Kurei would stay late at school to play with his friend Raiha, and she wasn't one to deprive him of friends, but he always knew to come home before night falls. They still lived within the borders of Nashikiri but their area was practically provincial. They had a total two neighbors, both elderly farm folks and street lamps ran apart a mile away. It was far from dangerous but it did make her worrisome.

With a firm resolve, Reina went inside and got her shawl and prepared to make the long trek to the city. Her son might've gotten into some trouble preventing him from coming home and she wasn't about to just sit around and wait for news.

Reina walked quickly down the rocky pathway of their home leading up to the unpaved road. She had walked a little past their house when she sighted a silhouette of a small figure.

"Kurei, where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Reina bellowed, voice uncharacteristically high. Her face was couldn't seem to decide whether it was worried or incensed.

Kurei slowed down his pace as he approached his panicking mother. Small hands held so tightly onto the straps of his knapsack that his knuckles turned white. His mother had never raised her voice at him and it was rather unnerving.

"I'm sorry," he cried as he ran up to her and hugged her waist.

Reina dropped to her knees and returned her son's embrace. "It's okay, Kurei. Mama didn't mean to yell. I was just so worried about you. Where did you go?"

Kurei shuffled his feet guiltily and looked away from his mother's searching gaze. "I went to see the parade. I wanted to see Uncle's new wife."

Reina frowned. She had heard of Ouka's wedding about a month ago. She remembered clearly that it was the day after Ouka's last visit to their home. The woman he married, Kagerou, Reina knew of her. She was a strong ninja that served in the Nashikiri army but she wasn't of noble birth. But Kagero's skills and talent as a ninja earned her a name and power in the community. She was the perfect candidate to be the next matriarch of the Hanabishi house.

"Mama," Kurei's small voice broke into her thoughts, "why didn't Uncle invite us to his wedding? We're family, aren't we?"

The sheer sadness in her son's face broke her heart to pieces.

"Oh Kurei, your uncle did invite us," Reina lied, "but I didn't have a proper dress and I didn't think you'd want to go. Mama's sorry, I should've asked you my son."

And just like that the light was back in her son's eyes. The mere suggestion that his Uncle Ouka did not forget about him was enough to chase away his forlorn thoughts.

Reina wiped away the stray tears that fell down Kurei's cheeks and kissed his nose. "You know the butcher that delivers the goods at the restaurant gave me a good deal for some beef. You want Mama to cook some beef hotpot for you tonight?"

Kurei nodded enthusiastically, all thoughts of weddings forgotten. Reina stood up from her kneeling position and took Kurei's tiny hand in her calloused ones as they walked back home.

…

Kurei found himself alone in class at seven in the morning once more. Her mother had again taken on the early morning shift at the restaurant and would still not allow him to stay alone at home. A pen and an open journal were his only companions that morning. He was scribbling away about dragons and princesses when the creak of the door jarred his flow. He looked up to find a woman dressed in a long black skirt and a white button up shirt looking at him curiously.

"You're Uncle's wife," he said without missing a beat.

The woman smiled tentatively. "Let me guess, you are Kurei?"

The child nodded, in too much shock that she would know his name.

"Your uncle's told me a lot about you," she said to explain the question in his face. A smile brightened his face when she told him that tidbit. "You're rather early for school. I thought I would be the only one here."

"My Mama has to go to work early and she doesn't want me staying in the house alone," Kurei explained. "Why are you here, um." He fidgeted in his seat nervously, wondering how to address his uncle's pretty wife.

"You can call me Miss Kagerou. I wanted to come in early to prepare for my lessons," she said calmly as she took her place at the teacher's desk at the head of the room. "I will be your teacher for Languages this year, Kurei-kun."

Kurei scrunched up his nose in thought. "But aren't you a ninja?"

Miss Kagerou laughed good naturedly at the boy's innocent question. "Well, I was, I still am in a way. But since I married I've decided to leave that dangerous lifestyle and take up teaching. I did earn a degree in Creative Writing while I was training for the army. I would be a capable teacher for the younger students like you."

Kagerou looked bemusedly at Kure's desk. She had seen what he was doing before she interrupted the child. "Do you like languages, Kurei-kun?"

The black haired boy scratched his nape as his cheeks puffed with a blush. "Eh, well, I like reading a lot. I like reading adventure books. And sometimes I write too."

Kagerou smiled at him. "I like the same things you do. I guess we'll both be having fun in this class, ne?"

His cheeks reddened even more before he nodded. Kagerou couldn't help the tiny giggle escape her mouth. The boy's awkwardness was simply adorable. She grabbed a chalk from her desk drawer and stood up to write on the board behind her. She had just finished writing her first name when she heard Kurei's shy voice.

"Miss Kagerou, Uncle hasn't come to visit us in a while. I know he's very busy, but, well, can you…I guess can you tell him that I miss him?" Kurei bowed his head down as if afraid he had asked for too much.

The new teacher smiled at him tenderly. "I promise I will."

…

Ouka began removing his armors as soon as he entered the bedchambers he shared with his wife. He had spent the day assessing the strength and skills of four of his new generals. It was tiring to say the least. He would probably give up his entire kingdom at the moment for a meal and a hot bath. He haphazardly dropped his arm guards on the carpeted floor knowing full well that he would receive hell from his wife much later for being such a slob but he was just too worn out to care at the moment. Just as he had taken a seat at the end of the bed to take off his shoes, he heard the opening of the bathroom door.

He had expected her to start berating him for his messiness but instead she smoothly said, "I saw him today."

Ouka paused from untying the laces to his boots and looked up at her. "Saw who?"

"Your son."

Ouka's eyes widened and it felt as if his entire being was encased in ice. "How did you-"

Kagerou remained calm as she moved to stand in front of him. "Know?" She smiled at him as if he were an ignorant child. "I've been in the army for as long as you have been. I'm privy to classified government documents. As far as the public knows you divorced your wife peacefully after the birth of your still born son. But I know the truth."

He remained mum; he wasn't sure how to respond.

She continued without waiting for him. "I also know that you see him regularly. But you stopped after our wedding. Why?"

He looked to his feet and spoke lowly. "I didn't think that you would understand."

Kagerou rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder. "You wound me, my husband. You really think I would be so selfish as to keep a boy away from his father?"

Ouka stood up and took hold of her arms. "That is not what I meant!"

She reached up and caressed his face to calm his nerves. "He is precious. And so very smart. He looks just like you, you know? He has your chin and your nose. Except for his eyes, they were these deep beautiful baby blues."

"He has his mother's eyes," he said in a grave tone, as if apologizing for loving someone else before her, even though he knew it was not something he should apologize before.

"Go to see him, Ouka. He longs for you," she whispered softly.

Ouka wrapped his arms around her waist in a bone-crushing embrace and kissed her tenderly. "I love you. Thank you."

…

Kurei huffed heavily as he kicked another rock standing in his way. The sun's punishing rays prickled on his skin and his legs felt like it would collapse at any moment. "How much farther up do we have to go, Raiha-kun?" he whined dramatically.

His companion trekked up the steep hill a few feet away from him looked back at him with a smug smirk on his face. "You are such a girl, Kurei-kun. Just a little more. Don't drop dead on me, okay?"

Kurei pouted at Raiha's seemingly bottomless energy. His sweat made his clothes cling to his skin and his hair was plastered onto his scalp and Raiha still looked like he just came from a fresh bath.

Once they had reached the clearing Raiha set his backpack down on the muddy floor. He opened the zipper and took out a package about the size of a shoe box. He excitedly tore the red wrapping paper around it and deftly handled the brightly colored rocket shaped objects in his hands.

"I got them from my cousin. He came home from China last week and they have the most awesome fireworks," Raiha said, "if we launch them from up here we'll see everything. It's going to be amazing!"

Kurei set his bag next to Raiha's and sat on his haunches. "Don't you think this is dangerous?"

Raiha rolled his eyes. "Psh, it's perfectly safe. I handle these things all the time," he said confidently. He was lying of course. He handled it maybe once and he burned his thumb in the process.

Raiha slipped his hands in his pockets searching for something. When he came up empty-handed he rummaged through his bag and as minutes went by and still nothing, he got frustrated. "Shit!"

"Don't say that! Mama says that's a bad word," Kurei admonished.

Raiha looked at him with a raised brow. "You're such a mama's boy, Kurei-kun."

"I am not!" Kurei defended.

"Whatever," Raiha waved off. His back hunched over. "Looks like I forgot the matches. And it's too late to go back down now. What a stupid thing to do. Argh!"

Kurei watched the sheer disappointment in his friend's face. He frowned, forehead creased in deep thought. Mama said he shouldn't but Raiha was his best friend, and Kurei trusted him with everything.

"Raiha-kun, we can still light up the fireworks, if you want," Kurei said carefully.

Raiha stared at him as if he were a mental patient. "What're you planning to do? Rub two stones together?"

The black haired boy ignored his friend's sarcasm. He looked to his sides and behind him as if making sure there was no one else around, never minding the fact that they were the only two people on this blasted hilltop.

"Look, you can't tell anyone, okay? It has to be a secret," Kurei whispered conspiratorially.

"Whatever."

"Raiha, I'm serious, you can't tell anyone or Mama might kill me!"

"Fine, I won't! I promise!"

"Shake on it."

Kurei spit on his right hand and offered it to Raiha who did the same. After they finished their secret handshake Kurei took a deep breath and held his right palm up, positioned as if he was begging for alms. Raiha was beginning to wonder if he should give him a quarter or something when his eyes widened. A small blue flame formed seemingly out of nowhere right in the middle of Kurei's turned up hand.

"You're a flame caster?" Raiha whispered breathlessly.

Kurei shook his head at his friend's conclusion. "No, I'm not. I can only make tiny blue flames like this. It's really weak."

"But how's that possible? Only the Hanabishis are blessed with such a gift," Raiha asked, eyes still focused on the bluebell flame that continued to flicker in Kurei's hand.

"Mama says my Dad was a far relative of the Hanabishis, that's why I can do small stuff like this. She tells me to keep it a secret though because she says if anyone finds out I'll be taken away from her and be tested in labs or something. So you can't tell anyone, okay?" Kurei said nervously.

Raiha shook his head and finally looked up to his friend's eyes. "Kurei, only one in every generation of the Hanabishis is blessed with such powers and can only pass it on to their direct descendants. What you're saying is impossible."

"Are you calling my Mama a liar?" Kurei shouted in a rare display of temper. The flame in his hand brightened, as if reacting to his mood.

Raiha gulped. Kurei was almost never forceful but when you say anything about his mother, he got really scary. "Of course not. It's just odd, is all. Hey, maybe we can tell the teachers at school and they can train you to make a really big flame so we can join the army together!"

Kurei closed his hand into a fist, effectively extinguishing the small fire. "No! I told you it has to be a secret. And besides, I already said I don't want to join the army like you, I want write books!"

The purple haired boy sighed deeply. Honestly, he had no idea why he kept insisting this army stuff on his friend. Maybe it was because Raiha just really wanted them to be joined at the hip forever.

"Alright, alright, I'll keep it a secret," he relented.

"So, are we still going to do this?" Kurei asked, wanting to veer away from the subject. He picked up a small rocket and looked at it as if it would come alive and bite him at any moment.

Raiha grinned from ear to ear. "You bet, it's going to be awesome!"

…

"What're you so nervous about?" Raiha asked as he chewed on his banana fritter.

Kurei was walking beside him, his little hands fiddling with the straps of his backpack. "My house is really small."

It would be the first time he would let Raiha visit his home. Kurei had been to the other boy's house all the time. Well, he didn't think house would be the appropriate term; Raiha lived in a mammoth of an estate. Their downstairs bathroom was about the size of Kurei's tiny hut.

Raiha waved off his concerns with a reassuring smile. "Pfft, don't think about that too much, okay? That stuff doesn't matter."

Kurei only nodded and continued walking.

"But your home sure is a long walk. No wonder you're so bony," Raiha teased.

"Yeah, I can still run faster than you though," Kurei challenged. Without waiting for a reply Kurei sprinted quickly down the road.

"Cheater!" Raiha exclaimed as he chased the other boy.

The two went on their race until they reached the front porch of Kurei's house. Kurei was heaving slightly as Raiha came up shortly behind him.

"I let you win, just so you know," Raiha said.

Kurei just laughed at him. His friend didn't handle defeat too well. He wordlessly led them to the door. He instructed Raiha to wipe his shoes on the rug before proceeding inside. As soon as they were in the house, Kurei was greeted with a wondrous surprise.

"Uncle!" Kurei dropped his backpack on the floor and barreled into the statuesque figure.

Ouka welcomed Kurei readily and easily lifted the boy in his arms. He crushed the boy in a tight hug and kissed the top of his head. "I've missed you sport!"

"I thought you were never gonna see us again," Kurei whispered with a slight hiccup as he hugged his uncle's neck tighter.

"Let him breathe, Kurei-kun," Reina said from behind them.

Ouka gently put Kurei back on his feet and took notice of the purple haired boy who was starting at them unblinkingly. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Raiha, he's my best friend!" Kurei forgot to mention that he was his only friend.

The purple haired boy waved in a zombie-like manner.

"I brought some snacks here for Kurei, but there's more than enough. Would you like to join us Raiha?" Ouka asked, smiling at his son's friend.

Raiha just nodded. He was still just positively dumbstruck.

"Your friend doesn't talk too much, does he?" Ouka said to Kurei.

Reina decided to take over at this point. "Why don't you two change into play clothes? Raiha, I'm sure Kurei has something that would fit you."

Kurei walked over to Raiha and dragged his friend who still had a bug-eyed look on his face.

As soon as they were safely inside Kurei's room, Raiha finally burst his spleen. "Ouka Hanabishi is your uncle?"

Kurei calmly walked to his dresser and pulled out a pair of t-shirts and two draw string pants. "Yeah, Mama said my dad is his fifth cousin or something. I told you earlier, didn't I? We're kinda related."

Raiha furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. "That's weird though, in history class they said for the past couple of generations there has been only one son born into the Hanabishi family…"

"Are you calling my Mama a liar again?" Kurei said with warning tone.

"I was just thinking aloud…"

Kurei glared.

"I'll shut up now."

**Eighteen Years before the Bombing of Nashikiri, Twelfth Year of Ouka Hanabishi's Reign**

Kurei neatly placed his book and pen inside his backpack, preparing to go to his next class. Most of his classmates were already heading out the door when Miss Kagerou drew his attention. "Can you stay a bit after class, Kurei-kun?"

There was a series of "ooh-s" and "aah-s" from the other students, thinking that Kurei must be in trouble. Kurei ignored them and nodded politely.

As soon as the last student was out the door, Miss Kagerou motioned for him to take a seat on the chair in front of her desk. Once he was settled, Miss Kagerou pulled out two bond papers stapled together and had neatly scribbled writings on it. Kurei recognized that it was his homework from last week. He felt the sweat drop come down the side of his face. Was it that bad?

"I read your story, Kurei-kun," Miss Kagerou began with a smile, "and it was very good."

A wide grin flourished on his young face. "Really?"

Miss Kagerou smiled at him. "Have you given thoughts to joining the school paper for next year?"

Kurei shook his head. "Do you think I'm good enough for that?"

"I think you are more than good enough. You'll be a stand-out for sure," she said confidently, "also, it would allow you to hone your talents more and you could interact with other students who share the same interests with you."

"Yeah, maybe I will," he said.

Miss Kagerou smiled at her introverted student. She knew he would just need a little push and encouragement. She rubbed her stomach as she felt a light kick on her womb.

"Your tummy's getting a lot bigger now," Kurei said. Then blushed as he thought over his words.

The languages teacher just laughed. "Yes, he's ready to come out any day now."

"Oh, it's a boy?" Kurei asked, looking very excited.

"Um-hmm, I hope he becomes as smart and as cute as you, Kurei-kun," she said sincerely.

Kurei blushed harder. "Do you think, when he comes out, Uncle will let me play with him?"

Miss Kagerou looked at him tenderly. "Of course, Kurei-kun. You'll be just like a big brother to him."

…

His office was looking more and more like a newspaper drive these days. Stacks upon stacks of documents pressed neatly between manila folders littered his desk, awaiting review and approval. The conflict in the Middle East had taken him away from his administrative duties for a while and it was now time to pay the piper. He leaned against the back of his leather arm chair and rested his eyes. The words were beginning to blur which was a sign he needed a bit of a break.

"Hanabishi-sama, your father is here to see you," a female voice drifted to his consciousness.

He opened his eyes to see Yumi, his executive assistant, poking her head through the slight crack on his door.

"Let him in," Ouka instructed. It wasn't like he could turn away his father. If he did the old man would probably set loose a horde of slugs in his office just to spite him.

Yumi disappeared behind the door. A scant few seconds later Yuzura Hanabishi entered his office, long silver hair flowing down his back. He held a bottle of champagne in one hand while the other rested heavily against his black cane. He put the champagne bottle down Ouka's desk, not caring if it caused some folders to fall down the floor. With much flourish he took a seat on the armed chair on the other side of the desk. He crossed his legs, his leather boots shining in the lamplight.

Yuzura's suffocating presence intimidated Ouka when he was younger, now it just irritated him. "What is it that you want, father?"

"I am allowed to congratulate my son on the birth of his child, am I not?" Yuzura said with an arrogant sniff.

Ouka gave him a disbelieving look. "You've never been the sentimental type. Why are you here?"

"I've received news that your son has the flame," he said without preamble.

Ouka rested his elbows on his desk and leaned forward. "Yes, he does. You should be happy the next heir to the throne is secured."

The elder Hanabishi took his time to pick off imaginary lint on his fur coat, enjoying the aggravation he caused his son who waited impatiently for him to continue. "While it is uncommon it is not impossible for two sons to carry the flame. I am sure you have learned basic math in the years you spent as a mediocre student, I don't need to explain to you that that cursed son of yours is still the older one and is therefore a threat to the throne."

Ouka drew a deep breath. He wanted to throttle the man in front of him for insulting his eldest child but knew it was pointless. "Reina has made it clear that she has no aspirations to associate herself with our family when you cast her out of the palace because of an archaic prophecy. Leave them in peace."

"Do not blaspheme our legacy, Ouka. Those archaic prophecies you dismiss so easily has strengthened the power of the Hanabishi family through many generations," he declared, unperturbed by the rising anger in Ouka's eyes.

"You will not hurt Kurei, or Reina," Ouka said with finality.

Yuzura let out mocking laughter from his lips. "You are far too dramatic my son. I am simply proposing that the mother and child be removed completely from Nashikiri. I'll even be generous and set them up in a chateau in France. It will definitely be an improvement from that pitiful shack they call a home."

Ouka slammed his fist against the desk, the rumblings penetrating Yuzura's stoic grace for a mere moment. "I have allowed you to rip my family from me before, but you will not take Kurei further away from me!"

A flash of rage ran through Yuzura's eyes as he held his son's steady gaze. "You are a fool if you think you can keep up this charade you've weaved. Posing as the boy's caring uncle, how terribly cliché! You think a secret of this magnitude can be kept under the rug with that woman and her cursed offspring living here while you keep close ties with them? I've indulged you for too long, Ouka, but what you're doing is dangerous. If they continue to live within the boundaries of Nashikiri, people will find out, your son will learn the truth sooner or later and the results will be disastrous!"

It seemed as if his entire body was consumed in controlled rage as he slowly stood up from his seat, hands clenched tightly at his sides, the veins on his muscles arms traced his skin with boiling madness. "I have let you control me for far too long. I will only say this once, you dare touch even a hair on Kurei's head and I will forget that you have sired me."

Yuzura stood to match his stance. "You foolish _boy_, you think I would cower at your meager threats. Let me remind you that I handed you the leadership of Nashikiri and I an just as easily take it away. You must be terribly naïve if you think I no longer hold any sort of power in this nation. I will bring this to the council and trust me when I say that they will favor my judgment over yours."

Yuzura turned around with a fastidious swish of his coat and slammed the door behind him.

…

There was an atypical skip in his step as Kurei made his way over to the young oak tree. He held a brown paper bag in one hand and folded letter in the other. The sun shone brightly in the sky and the wind blew easily in his face as if to reflect his rather agreeable mood.

"What're you so happy about?"

Raiha was already seated inbetween two thick trunks of their tree, it was their regular lunch spot. He was already chewing on a turkey sandwich and a half empty juice box lay wayward in front of him.

Kurei didn't wipe the Cheshire grin on his face as he took his spot in front of Raiha and handed him the letter. The purple haired boy put down his sandwich on top of its forgotten paper wrapper and wiped his hands on his pants before snatching up the proffered paper. He opened it up and read the contents, his frown steadily deepening until he got to the end.

"I didn't know you tried out for the school paper," he sniffed.

"I didn't really think I'd get in, but I did!" Kurei said excitedly. "And I get to write my first piece about the school's 'Go Green' project!"

"That's lame," Raiha said carelessly. He dropped the letter on the grass and picked up his turkey sandwich.

Kurei grimaced as he picked up the discarded letter and reverently smoothed out the edges. "Aren't you happy for me?"

Raiha looked at his friend's utter disappointment in his reaction but was still callous in his tone. "There's just a bunch of geeks in there. You should've tried out for the kendo team with me."

"But I'm no good at stuff like that, Raiha-kun," he said, sounding utterly despondent. "Ne, Raiha-kun, if I don't become a ninja like you, are you going to stop being my friend?"

Raiha gulped down the masticated turkey in his throat. It didn't taste as good as it did a minute ago. He looked down guiltily. "They're still a bunch of geeks…but you'll be the only cool one in there."

"Really?"

"We'll be friends forever, Kurei-kun."

"Always."

…

There was palpable unease in the air as Fujimaro Kirisawa watched the grown man in front of him shift uncomfortably on cushioned booth opposite his. His hand fiddled with the salt shaker nervously, his movements oddly unsure. Fujimaro had been friends with him for fourteen years, since they first became bunkmates in the military on their freshman year.

Fujimaro knew something was off when he had asked the decorated general to meet him here. They would usually meet at his office but today they found themselves in a non-descript pub on the outskirts of the city. He doubted either one of them had been in here since their years in the military academy. He had been reluctant to leave his wife's side, after all she had just given birth to their first daughter but there was an urgency to the request given to him and Fujimaro could not deny.

It was unnerving to see Ouka Hanabishi bothered by anything, not just bothered, it was almost as if he was afraid.

"I will be leaving tomorrow for the West. The council was adamant I be present for the treaty with the Americas," Ouka began.

Fujimaro nodded. "Would you like me to cut short my leave to join you?"

Ouka shook his head. "No, no. There is no danger, it's an economic treaty, to smoothen our trading laws with the West. And I would need you here."

"Continue," Fujimaro said.

"What I'm going to ask of you is not official business," he said.

"What is going on, Ouka?" Fujimaro asked, letting the restlessness seep through his tone.

"You are one of my most trusted generals but more importantly you are one of my closest friends," Ouka said, "My father has expressed his fear of Kurei becoming a threat to the throne now that Recca is born."

"Are you afraid that he will try something while you're away?" Fujimaro supplied.

"My father still has deep ties with the council. I wouldn't put it past him to have orchestrated this entire ruse of a treaty just to get me out of the country," Ouka said. "I need you to stay here and make sure that nothing happens to Kurei and Reina."

Fujimaro sighed deeply. What Ouka was asking for was not an easy task. Yuzura Hanabishi, while no longer leader, was still a powerful man. He still wielded a strong hand in both military and legislative systems and he was but a young general fresh from the ranks. However, he was not about to let his comrade and his friend down. "I will do everything in my power to keep them safe."

…

Reina carefully stirred the cuttlefish stew that was slowly coming to a boil on the stove top. Her eyes watched as the soup turned into a murky brown but her ears were trained to Kurei's continuous chatter. She nodded gently as Kurei animatedly talked about his new friends at school after he had joined the school paper. She smiled fondly at the thought that Kurei was becoming a lot more social and active in school.

"Mama! You're not listening!" Kurei whined as he tugged the skirt of his mother's kimono.

Reina patted the top of his head. "I am, I am! You were telling me about who you had lunch with."

Kurei, satisfied that she was in fact paying attention, continued to prattle on. "Right, there was Chiako, and there was Souta, and there was Ruka. But Raiha-kun didn't seem too happy with all of them there though."

"Well, friends can get jealous too, Kurei-chan. You just need to let Raiha adjust and all will be well," Reina assured him.

Kurei tilted his head to his side thoughtfully. "Yeah, I s'pose. Raiha-kun can be so moody."

Reina laughed heartily. "But he's still your best friend, Kurei-chan."

The loud creak of their front door stopped Kurei from replying. Reina frowned, wondering who could possibly be coming to their house at this time. She turned off the stove and headed out the kitchen. Kurei followed her steps.

Their uninvited guest stood at the foyer, head lolling around as he inspected his surroundings. Every movement of his eye and quirk of his mouth seemed to be some form of judgment.

"Go to your room, Kurei," Reina immediately said as soon as she recognized the man.

"Do you know him, Mama?" Kurei asked, the exigency in her voice gave him goosebumps.

"Just go, Kurei, I will talk to him," she insisted.

The man continued his way, not acknowledging the presence of the mother and her child. He betrayed no expression on his face as to what was running through his mind. Kurei followed his mother's orders and disappeared inside his room but stuck his ear to the door. He didn't trust that man.

"Yuzura," Reina greeted.

Only then did the man acknowledge her presence. Reina, despite her frailty, was a tall woman, standing only two inches beneath the man, but somehow he managed to stare her down as if she was nothing more than an insect in his path.

"Your home…is quaint," he drawled. Everything that came out of his mouth always sounded like an insult.

"To what do we owe your visit?" she asked calmly.

Yuzura lifted the cane in his hand and easily twirled it between his fingers. He never really had a need for a cane, but found that it made his presence more intimidating. "You have heard of course of Ouka's new heir."

Reina huffed impatiently. She was never one for dancing around subjects and she truly loathed Yuzura's presence. The faster they get to the point, the faster he can leave. "I've told you before, I have no interest in the throne. Kurei and I are of no threat to your family. If you have come all the way here for that, then you have wasted our time. You need not worry about us."

Yuzura laughed mockingly at her. "Oh I have heard that before, Reina. However, it is not such a simple matter. You may say that you and that bastard child of yours will keep away, but your continued presence here in Nashikiri, could be problematic."

Reina narrowed her eyes at the implications of his words.

Yuzura drew nearer to her, his stature towering menacingly over her form. She could smell the scent of stale cigars wafting from the thick fibers of his midnight cloak. "I want you out of this country. Do not worry that peasant head of yours, I've taken care of everything, you will lead a much more comfortable life."

Reina clenched her fists at her side, her mouth thinning into a grim line. "I have no need for your money. You have already taken away his birthright, you will not take him away from his home. You will not take him away from his father. What kind of a man are you that you would force your son away from his child?"

He smirked deviously at her. "Foolish woman, defending your former lover so stalwartly. I wonder if you would feel any differently if I told you it was Ouka himself who gave me the order."

Her eyes widened. Anger bubbled up her throat. "You lie! Ouka loves Kurei, he would never do such a thing!" she yelled with as much force as her body could muster.

"Mama!"

Reina turned around so quickly that the bones in her neck seethed. Kurei stood at the end of the hallway, a horrified look on his face, eyes brimming with tears.

"Get back inside, Kurei!"

"Oh no, he should stay and find out just how much his father hates the wicked flame running through his bones," Yuzura taunted.

Reina looked back at him, her chin jutting out as she gritted her teeth. "Get out, now!"

Yuzura's mouth twisted into a sneer. His entire form shook with anger. "Who do you think you are barking orders at me?"

"And who do you think you are coming into my home and hurting my child with your lies?" It was as if there was foreign entity that took over her being as she raised her palms up and pushed at Yuzura's chest.

"You insolent woman!"

And then it happened. His cane rose magnificently above his head, its silver dragon cap gleaming in the soft yellow light and struck down the unblemished cheek of the woman standing in front of him.

Kurei stood frozen in his spot, as if icicles crawled up the veins of his body. He watched in horror as his beloved mother fell to the side with great speed. He heard a sickening crack split the air as her head hit the sharp corner of their dinner table before her body limped to the floor with a painful thud.

It was as if all the muscles in his body melted into mush as he dropped to his knees. His palms and knees scaled the floor to reach her. It felt like he crawled for hours upon hour before he finally came to a halt by her side. Her entire face was wrapped in a pallid color save for the bright red bruise that stained her cheek. Blood pooled around her head until it stretched to reach his palms, soaking it with its copper smell. It didn't look good. She didn't look good.

"Mama," he whimpered. His small, palpitating hands went to her shoulders as he tried to shake his mother

Slow, uneven gasps made its way out of her mouth. "Kurei…" Her voice was but a whisper that haunted him to his core.

"Mama, get up," he pleaded.

Her eyes fluttered weakly searching for her son's face but failing to find him until her irises shrunk to point. "I love you, Kurei…"

Then he could no longer hear her gasps.

His heart beat against his ribcage wildly as his breaths escalated to difficult pants. A sharp pain struck his throat until it reached his cheeks. "You hurt my Mama," it was soft and daunting murmur.

He looked up at the man who seemed to be in shock, his wrinkly hands holding tightly onto his dastardly cane.

"You hurt my Mama!"

Yuzura never had the chance to scream as the brilliant blue flame engulfed his vision.

…

Kirisawa Fujimaro hurled out every swear in the book at the three hare-brained rookie officers in front of him. He had been called to see to a situation that arose in the guard station at the borders. He thought of the worst, possibly an attack from rebel soldiers, only to be greeted with the site of three drunk imbecilic officers engaged in a brawl over a fucking bottle of scotch.

"You dare call yourself soldiers you pathetic vermin! You three are suspended indefinitely and I will personally propose to the Secretary General that you be stripped off your titles without honor!" he informed them venomously.

But it wasn't just the three imbeciles that made Fujimaro antsy. Something deep in his gut told him something deeply foreboding was coming this way. The static emitting from his two-way pinched his ears. He pulled it out roughly from his utility belt and spoke into the speaker. "Ishijima, what is it?"

Fujimaro had been staking outside the house of Reina and Kure for the past three days. He rarely left the site and when he did he would only be gone for an hour or two. The situation at the borders forcibly drew him away from his spot and he had called on one of his neophyte officers to take his place, instructing to inform him immediately should anything happen. Ishijima was an unlucky bastard who was forced into the military by his father when all he wanted was to run a flower shop. He was a quiet and submissive one and Fujimaro knew the boy would never question his authority and would keep his mouth shut when told.

"Kirisawa-sama, there's a black town car that parked inside the house a minute or so ago," Ishijima reported from the other end.

Fujimaro clenched his hand around the radio. "How many?"

"Just one man came out, I couldn't see his face but he was wearing a black cape," the freshman soldier replied.

"Fuck!" Fujimaro swore. "Stay put, I'm coming."

Fujimaro jumped into his jeep and stepped on the gas, willing the machine to run as fast as it could go. But he would be too late.

…

"Ishijima, what the fuck happened here?" Fujimaro yelled at the officer who stood helplessly in front of the burning house.

"I don't know! It happened too fast, one minute there was a spark and the next the entire house is on fire!" Ishijima explained.

Fujimaro didn't waste anymore time as he moved forward towards the flaming hut. He took off his fatigue jacket and put it over his head to protect his from the thick black smoke polluting the air. He kicked the door open with his boot and rushed inside. What greeted him was a sight that he would carry to his death.

The boy sobbed loudly over the lifeless form of his mother, seemingly unaware of the suffocating heat and the collapsing house around him Or perhaps he just didn't care. Another body lay just a few feet away, charred to the bone, even his eyes did not survive. But Fujimaro would recognize that black cane anywhere.

He didn't have time to process the situation although his subconscious was already putting together the pieces of the events. He spoke no words of comfort as he scooped up the small boy in his arms easily, he was practically weightless. The boy kicked and screamed and called for his mother but Fujimaro ignored his pleas as he ran to the door, just as the beams finally gave up and fell to the ground, creating a bonfire around the two corpses inside.

Hours later he found himself in his jeep just outside the border gates of Nashikiri. The boy was staring up the stars, his face a canvass of soot and tear tracks. Fujimaro gripped the steering wheel before he spoke, "Kurei, you can't stay here."

He didn't want to do this. The boy had just lost his mother and now he had to be driven away from his home. He was so young. But he couldn't think of anything else. There was no question what had caused Yuzura's death and though he knew in his heart of hearts that Kurei could not be blamed, keeping him here would be feeding him to the wolves. There were too many members of the council that hated the boy on account of his supposed cursed flame and they would jump at the chance to permanently rid of him once they found out about the events that transpired earlier that night. They would eat him alive and neither him nor Ouka would be able to do anything. This was the only thing he could think of. He pulled out a pouch from his jacket pocket and filled it with all the money he had. He handed it to the child beside him.

"There is a bus that would take you North. Get off Hakurei Mountains and find a place to stay. The money I put in there should last you at least two weeks. I will come and find you, understand?" Fujimaro instructed.

Kurei finally turned away from the stars and to face the stranger who saved his life. "Why?"

"It's not safe here for you anymore, Kurei," was all Fujimaro said. How can you explain to a child that many yearned for his death?

Kurei accepted this. They waited together for the bus to arrive.

**Present day**

Fujimaro watched the thunder in the sky wrestle wildly with the dark clouds. The city lights paled under the rebellious lights. The glass of scotch in his hand was yet to touch his lips. "How is Recca?"

Kagerou reclined on the chair inside Fujimaro's steady, facing the fire. "He ran out of our home an hour ago. I don't know how he's taking it but I'm giving him his space."

The pair settled once more into silence.

"Did Ouka know about you and Kurei?" Kagerou asked.

"He knew that I took him out of the fire but he didn't know that I've kept tabs on him through the years, until I lost track of him when he turned eighteen," Fujimaro answered truthfully.

"Why not?"

Fujimaro sighed. "He would've gotten emotional. He would've fought to bring Kurei back here and taken on the council himself. It would have cracked down his entire government. I had to consider the plight of the nation."

Kagerou nodded.

"Do you think he'd have hated me for it?" Fujimaro asked.

"You were just doing what you thought was right," she answered honestly. "What do you think happened after he turned eighteen?"

Fujimaro put down the scotch on the window ledge in front of him. He was never going to drink it really. He walked towards the fireplace and settled on the chair opposite Kagerou.

"To be honest, I can't be sure. I could only use limited resources to gather intel about Kurei. I heard rumors that he was taken in by Mori Koran but I didn't have any conclusive information," Fujimaro explained.

"Mori Koran?" she asked.

Fujimaro nodded. "He's infamous for running drug cartels and illegal arms trading in the West."

"But what would he want with Kurei?" she asked.

"I have ideas but I would rather gather more information before giving you anything conclusive," he said.

Kagerou shifted in her seat. "What about Raiha?"

He let a frustrated growl escape his lips. "I should've guessed immediately that Kurei was behind this once I found out Raiha was involved. Raiha is posing to be a bigger threat than we thought. I've found out recently that a large number of Madogus that do not belong to any of the ninja families are missing from our arsenal. You can guess who keeps the keys and the ledgers to that."

"Do you think they plan to build an army?" she asked.

"I'm afraid they might've already built one," he answered.

Kagerou tilted her head and stared into the fire. "Perhaps we deserve this for what happened to Kurei."

"We were young back then, Kagerou. We held positions of power but were just slaves to the system," he reasoned.

"We could've tried harder to protect him," she said ruefully, "now our children will have to pay the price for our cowardice."

…

Fuuko dragged her feet up the steps of her home. School was unforgiving. The week long break meant everyone had to work twice as hard to make up for the time lost. Tokiya had asked if she wanted to come over so they could study together but she figured that was a bad idea. When they tried to study together the day before they didn't even make it to the library and ended up making out in a broom closet for a full two hours. Sure, it was fun but certainly not productive.

She was about to insert her key into the keyhole when it suddenly popped open. Her older brother Eisen's clown face attacked her vision. "Hurry, the circus is inside," he pronounced with glee s he dragged her inside.

"What are you talking about, crazy?" she asked even as she let him pull her.

"Aunt Jun is here and she's out for blood!" he said with an evil cackle.

Fuuko stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Aunt Jun's terrible shrill pierced her ears as soon as she stepped inside the parlor.

"They can't just embarrass us like this! There must be something we can do!" the elder Sakoshita cried as she paced back and forth behind the white chintz sofa. Yanagi sat primly in the middle of the sofa with her head bowed down and cheeks blushing with embarrassment. Her father Ichigo was quiet and still as a mouse as he wrapped a comforting arm around his daughter.

Fujimaro had his arms folded in front of him and stared at Jun contemptuously, as if willing her to disappear. "I can't throw someone in jail for breaking an engagement," he said impatiently.

It was as if the woman did not hear him. "Oh god! When everyone finds about this, how can I show my face in public?" she cried inelegantly.

"I thought it was Yanagi who was engaged, not you," the general said sardonically.

"Oh very funny, Fujimaro!" Jun sneered as she paused from her pacing to glare at him. "You wouldn't understand the intricacies of high society since you insist on going about like a commoner for a man of your status."

"At least I'm not running around like a lunatic over something completely banal," Fujimaro returned while inspecting his nailbeds.

"How could you call this banal? He has embarrassed Yanagi by refusing to marry her!" she screamed.

"Mother," Yanagi spoke up in a small placating voice, "perhaps it is for the best. Tokiya-kun is not in love with me."

Jun rounded the sofa and seethed at her daughter. "You naïve little girl! Who said anything about love? The Mikagami's money and our status and connections would've ensured you a powerful place in Nashikiri for the years to come!"

Ichigo suddenly slammed his fist onto the wooden coffee table in front of him, shocking everyone into silence. "You would pander our daughter to the highest bidder?"

Jun was unperturbed. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, you hypocrite. The union was your idea in the first place."

"Because I thought Tokiya and Yanagi would've been a good match and I was good friends with his father, not for their money," he returned without skipping a breath. Ichigo turned to Fujimaro. "I apologize for this mess, Yanagi and I will head home. Jun, you can follow us back once you have your head on straight."

Yanagi followed her father's lead and politely wished everyone farewell. Jun took a moment before turning to follow them. As she exited the room her eyes landed on Fuuko and narrowed suspiciously. Fuuko tried not to cower.

"Well, that was entertaining." Eisen's twin brother Shuichi came up from behind Fuuko.

Fuuko groaned dramatically. "Oh god, you're both back home."

"Didn't you miss us, Fuuko-chan?" Eisen teased as he wrapped his little sister in a bear hug.

"Get off me, crazy," she whined but couldn't stop herself from grinning. It was nice to have her whole family in one place. Ever since Shuichi and Eisen graduated from the military eight years back, reunions like this were a rare occurrence.

"Don't piss off your sister, she can whoop your ass," Fujimaro warned them as Shuichi gave Fuuko a noogie.

Fuuko wrestled away from her brothers and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. Eisen and Shuichi took to the couch Yanagi and Ichigo had vacated.

Fujimaro wrapped an arm around his daughter. "Aunt Jun mentioned that you were friends with this Tokiya?"

Fuuko bit her lip. "He's the one that I told you about before, he's a sparring partner."

"Hmm, Ensui, right?" her father confirmed. "He must be very skilled then."

Fuuko couldn't help but smile proudly. "He's really good."

"But what he did to Yanagi was an awful thing to do to such a sweet girl," Fujimaro finally admitted. He would never give Jun the satisfaction of knowing that he agreed with her though.

Fuuko shied away from her father's glance. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

Fujimaro clucked his tongue. "It better be a damn good reason."

"Maybe Eisen and I should beat him up a little to teach him a lesson," Shuichi interjected half-jokingly.

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Oh please, he's a Madogu master. He'd eat you both alive."

"Woah there missy, getting a little defensive there," Eisen said before a naughty glint crossed his face, "does Fuuko-chan have a wittle crush?"

Fuuko decided to throw a shoe at him in response. Before Eisen could retaliate, Fuuko's ring tone permeated the air. She peeked inside her skirt to check who was calling. She jumped up as if someone had set fire under her bum.

"It's Recca, I have to take this," she said.

Fuuko ran from the room and went into the study. She locked the door behind her before pulling out the phone and pressing 'answer.'

"Hey," she whispered.

"Why are we whispering?" the voice on the other end asked.

"My family's in the other room, I don't want them to hear me," she answered. "Why are you calling?"

"I just missed you."

She flushed.

"We saw each other half an hour ago, Mi-chan."

She heard him laugh heartily on the other end. "Your presence is quite addictive."

"Flatterer," she teased, "what're you doing right now?"

"Sitting on my couch. What are you wearing right now?"

"Mi-chan," she squealed as a giggle escaped her lips. "Perv."

She could practically see that cocky smirk on his face. "Actually I did call for a reason. My family's in town."

Fuuko took on a somber tone. "I kind of figured as much."

"Hmm?"

"Aunt Jun was here earlier. She's not very happy. I think she tried to get my Dad to assassinate you."

Tokiya sighed. "Well, that's not good, is it?"

Fuuko nodded her head even though he couldn't see her. "Mi-chan, maybe we should just keep this between the two of us for a while…"

"It's never good to keep secrets, baby."

She couldn't help the small grin on her face at hearing him call her that. They didn't actively decide on his pet name for her, just something that came out in the middle of a particularly intense kiss. Somehow it just stuck.

"I know. It'll be just until things settle down a bit."

Tokiya relented. "I guess you won't be happy to hear then that my sister knows. She wants to meet you and asked if the three of us could have coffee tomorrow after school."

"What?" Fuuko clamped a hand over her mouth. She got a bit louder than she wanted.

"Well, I was hoping to enlist her help in breaking the news to my parents. She's the only one I told," he placated her.

Fuuko let out a relieved breath. "Ok, but just her alright? For now at least."

"Just her. So does that mean you'll come with us tomorrow?"

Fuuko took a moment to answer. "Yeah."

"Tomorrow then."

"Yup," she confirmed.

"Anyhow, going back to our previous topic, what are you wearing right now?"

Fuuko promptly dropped the call.

_To be continued…_

**End Author's Notes: **OMG, thirty frigging pages y'all. This mammoth of a chapter took over my life for the better part of two weeks. I hope you enjoyed it! Also, Harry Potter reference! Ahahahahhaha. I loved writing little Kurei and little Raiha. Kurei/Raiha is love. Anyone who disagrees can go to the left.

**Next Chapter: **A little ToFuu, more revelations, some Kurei and my favorite tripod of Fuuko/Recca/Domon. Hee. (Hopefully it won't take as long.)

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND PLEASE GIVE THE REVIEW BUTTON SOME LOVIN' CAUSE IT'S VALENTINE'S Y'ALL!**


	8. Dazed and Confused

**Disclaimer: **Flame of Recca isn't mine. "Dazed and Confused" is once again by Led Zeppelin.

**Author's Notes: **Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please stop hating on Yanagi! Haha!

**Thank you's: **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys inspire me to keep writing! **Snowcharms **(Thanks! And yes, Yuzura is a bastard, I wonder if you can tell that Lucius Malfoy was the inspiration for him, haha!) **abubi-chan **(I'm making up for some ToFuu action in this chapter :p Enjoy!) **Shirayuki Sayura **(He's a bit of a perv isn't he? I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't worry about ToFuu, I love them too much to make the suffer...that much, hehe) **TuckinFypo **(I love Raiha and Kurei's friendship! I really enjoyed writing them, I'm glad you liked!) **thepinkmartini **(I'm glad you liked it! I really enjoyed writing Kurei's background! There's a glimpse of adult Raiha and Kurei here.) **satomika **(aw, bb. Embrace the Kurei/Raiha love. Haha. Seriously though, I adore writing their friendship.) **khay **(OMFG YOU'RE ALIVE! I THOUGHT YOU HAD LEFT FANDOM! UPDATE COMEDY OF ERRORS BEEYOTCH! Also, thanks :D I wanted to deviate a bit from manga!Reina. She was a bitch yeah, but she really truly loved Kurei.) **Anne Raven **(Thank you dear! I really enjoy writing the friendships in this story, Ouka and Fujimaro, Recca/Domon/Fuuko and especially Kurei and Raiha. I'm glad you spotted the parallels!) **aki reinhart **(nah, but someone else is suspicious. Ahahaha! Thanks so much toots!) **stubbornheroine** (I initially thought your handle said stubbornHERMIONE and I was like 'yay HP fan!' and then I read again. Heh. I hope you enjoyed the story and keep reading!)

**THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Seven: Dazed and Confused**

She had always been the golden girl. She had excellent grades. She was always voted homecoming queen. She never had a hair out of place. Her uniform was always wrinkle-free. Her clothes were always an impeccable balance of class and allure. Her pretty and pleasant face was constantly immaculately fresh. She never trips. She never falls. She never even sweats.

She was perfect and the sight of her failing was absolutely orgasmic.

Yanagi tried to keep her head held high as she walked through the hallway of wild whispers and not so subtle looks. She didn't know how the news spread out so quickly but it didn't quite surprise her. They had maids all around their home, and their household staff had quite a unique skill when it came to discovering the family's secrets. It turned out that this news was too juicy and inconsequential, at least to them, to keep to themselves.

Yanagi hadn't been in the room when Tokiya's and her parents discussed the dissolution of their arrangement. But she somewhat had an inkling on what was happening, judging by the way Tokiya had refused to sit near her nor look her in the eye. It was not until his parents had summoned him that he dared look up to her and muttered a low yet heartfelt, 'I'm sorry.'

She reached her designated locker and pulled out her books for her morning classes with compulsive order. From her peripheral vision she saw three girls approaching her side. She knew them of course. The girl who walked a step ahead of the two was Mina Sato. Yanagi had worked with her on several occasions for school charity events. They were friendly, or so Yanagi thought.

"Hey, Yanagi," Mina greeted with a saccharine smile on her face. "I heard about you and Mikagami-san."

Yanagi closed her locker and simply nodded at the girl, unsure of how to respond.

"That's really sad," Mina continued, but she somehow maintained the smile on her face. "How are you doing? I mean it must be really horrid how he just dumped you like that."

Yanagi at stiffened at her words but managed to maintain a civil smile on her face. "Thank you for concern, Mina-san, but it's really not necessary. I am doing well and Tokiya-kun and I are in good terms," she lied easily.

Mina emitted a high pitched laughter. She squeezed Yanagi's arm with a hand. The move was nowhere near comforting. "Oh honey, you don't need to lie to me. I mean we're friends, you can tell us anything." The two girls behind her nodded robotically.

Yanagi surreptitiously shrugged off the other girl's hand. "There is really nothing to tell."

Mina ignored Yanagi's obvious rebuff. "I know guys like Mikagami-san. He's very good looking and probably has a bajillion girls lined up around the corner for him. Obviously, he gets bored easily." It was not hard to catch the thinly veiled insult.

"Leave her alone."

Yanagi turned to see her cousin standing a foot away from her. Fuuko had one hand on her hip while the other gripped the strap of her book bag.

Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to be nice."

Fuuko snorted. "You don't know the meaning of nice," she retorted. She walked up to the junior student and loomed over her. "I catch you again talking to my cousin, and I swear to god I'm going to punch you in the face."

Mina tried to appear unaffected but neither Yanagi nor Fuuko missed the fact that she took a step backwards. "Whatever," she said with a wave of her hand. She walked away but after three steps, turned her head towards Yanagi and said, "Call me if you ever want to have some fun."

Fuuko gave the girl the stink eye before turning to Yanagi. "You okay?"

Yanagi nodded and forced a smile on her face.

Fuuko patted her cousin's shoulder awkwardly. "Don't let those girls bother you. Mina's always been a bit jealous of you," she tried to say reassuringly.

The brunette shook her head and grimaced. "There's really nothing to be jealous of," she said weakly.

The two girls stood in front of each other, trying to ignore the discomfited cloud that seemed to have crept up around them. Well, at least for Fuuko it felt like that, Yanagi seemed too focused on her own thoughts to feel anything else.

"Well, I'm gonna go to class now," Fuuko said, trying to act as naturally as possible.

Before she could leave, she felt Yanagi's hand grab her wrist tenderly. Fuuko turned to face Yanagi, head tilted to the side in question.

Yanagi surreptitiously glanced around her, as if to make sure no one else could hear what she was about to say. "Fuuko-chan, you are friends with Tokiya-kun," she said. It wasn't in anyway a question.

"I guess, yeah," Fuuko answered, feeling utterly self-conscious and wholly guilty.

The shorter girl chewed her bottom lip as if second guessing herself before finally deciding to continue. "I wasn't sure if I should ask. I don't want to put you in a spot but I really didn't know who else to turn to." Yanagi took a deep calming breath before she proceeded. "I never really had the chance to ask him…well I just wanted to know why? I know, in a sense we were never really together. We were thrown into this by our parents but I had thought that he was alright with it. I guess, I just wanted to know why he changed his mind."

Yanagi fiddled with her fingers, thoroughly self-conscious at all that she had just revealed. Sometimes it made sense to her, sometimes it didn't. She knew that their coming together wasn't natural, in a way. They had never courted or dated even, just knew from the beginning that they were to be married. They met each other briefly when they were younger and exchanged polite letters through the years. He never had to woo her and she never really made an effort to make him like her. But they had been together; at least they went through the motions of being together. They held hands, went out on dates, texted each other good night. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt for Tokiya but she liked him well enough, she guessed, to be content with the thought of marrying him. So when she learned from her parents that he had asked to break off the engagement, she had felt a loss. And the fact that he had not felt the need to come to her personally, it had hurt. She had thought that however little it was that they had shared, that at least it had been real. But the way matters had been handled, it seemed that all this time he had never thought of it as more than a business deal. His rejection had left her feeling inadequate. All her life she had struggled to do everything perfect, to make sure she never failed anyone's expectations. She just wanted to know what it was that she did wrong.

Fuuko looked down and pulled at a loose thread on her skirt. She didn't know how to act or respond. She had come to accept her feelings for Tokiya, and his feelings for her but it didn't stop the gnawing guilt that seemed to have taken a permanent residence in her heart. She didn't think she was a bad person…but here she was willingly hurting her own cousin. "I'll see what I can do, Yanagi."

…

Fuuko clutched the front of her thick coat close to her body in an attempt to lock in the warmth within. The weather had been getting chillier with the winter season fast approaching. She regretted her decision to walk to her destination now that the cold seeped through the tips of her fingers and settled all over her skin. She was on her way to meet Tokiya and his sister Mifuyu in a small at a rather obscure café outside of the metro, a place they surmised their schoolmates would not likely frequent.

Fuuko spotted the café as soon as she turned the corner. There was no mistaking the dark purple canopy hooded over the glass panel doors. The bell hanging above the door clanged scandalously as she entered. It wasn't difficult to spot Tokiya and Mifuyu, there were only three other people inside the café; the old couple who owned it and a male straggler who appeared to be quietly enjoying his hot cup of tea. The siblings were seated in a booth towards the back, enjoying a cup of coffee and some pastries. Tokiya smiled as soon as he spotted her. He patted the seat beside him and she promptly slid into the booth next to him.

Tokiya placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before he spoke. "Nee-san, this is Fuuko. Fuuko this is my sister, Mifuyu," he introduced, his nerves made his voice crack the teensiest bit. He motioned to the drink in front of Fuuko. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. Cappuccino, wet, one sugar and no cream?"

Fuuko nodded. They'd studied together often enough for him to memorize how she liked her coffee.

"You know her coffee order, that's adorable," Mifuyu said. Her voice was flirty and whimsical, a far cry from her brother's rather serious and perennially bored tone.

Fuuko looked up and finally had the chance to observe the woman's face. She tried to control the gaping of her mouth; Mifuyu Mikagami was practically her cousin's twin.

"We study a lot together, so my dependence on coffee is rather well-documented," Fuuko said shyly.

Mifuyu scrunched her eyebrows. "You two share classes? But I thought you were a junior?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

Fuuko took a sip of her warm coffee before answering. "Well, technically I am a junior. But I've been taking advanced classes since I was in second year in preparation for my early admissions to the military academy next year," she explained.

"Impressive. I take it you also wield a Madogou like my brother?" the female Mikagami asked.

Fuuko nodded eagerly. "Although I must say I'm much more skilled than Mi-chan here," she said teasingly.

Tokiya scoffed arrogantly. "Please, I'm a gentleman. I let you win most of the time," he drawled.

The Fuujin master tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So you were letting me win last Wednesday when I had your face slammed to the ground while you cried uncle?"

He playfully pinched her cheek and said, "You're getting awfully cocky, maybe I shouldn't be so nice to you next time."

Fuuko laughed heartily at the irony of his statement and Mifuyu joined her.

"I see your ego is as healthy as ever, little brother," Mifuyu joshed.

The afternoon went on rather pleasantly. Still, Fuuko couldn't help but feel as if she was inside an interrogation room as Mifuyu threw a slew of questions her way, asking about everything from her Fuujin to her favorite movie. As the sun began to drop and the sky turned into a somber shade of red, Mifuyu announced that she needed to go on her way if she wanted to catch her flight. She had moved out of their home two years before Tokiya moved to Nashikiri and now lived with her husband on the northern part of the country.

The trio walked out of the café together. Mifuyu's car service waited outside. Fuuko stood by the door to allow the siblings a private farewell.

"So?" Tokiya let the obvious question hang in the air. It wasn't like it really mattered what she thought, but he was curious about his sister's opinion of Fuuko.

Mifuyu daintily arranged her silk gloves on her hand as she spoke. "Well, she wasn't what I expected," she began honestly. "To be honest I'd thought Yanagi was perfect for you. She's prim, pedigreed and well-spoken."

"Fuuko's very intelligent and probably even more ambitious than I am," Tokiya said, unable to control his defensive stance.

The elder woman's eyes twinkled with amusement at her brother's irritation at her seeming insult of his girl. "I never said she wasn't. For someone her age, she's incredibly focused and motivated. Which I think really is a good thing for you, now that I think about it. You need someone who keeps you on your toes," she assessed honestly. "And I can see now why you would be beguiled by her from the beginning; those legs are glorious."

Tokiya rolled his eyes at her teasing. "You make me sound like a shallow schoolboy," he retorted.

"I have a decade on you, little brother. I know these things. I'm pretty sure you've spent a lot of time admiring those legs…among other things," she chided.

Tokiya turned back to look at Fuuko who was doing a little jog in her spot to keep herself warm. Well, his sister was right about those legs. He looked at his sister once more. "How do you think mother and father will react?"

Mifuyu took a moment to consider his question before answering. "Mother will be easy; you just need to mention her last name and she'd be all over it. Father, will be a bit more difficult to win over, I think. He and Ichigo-san are rather good friends, he genuinely wanted to join our families. I think he still believes that you might change your mind down the line. Just hang in there, he'll come around once he sees how much affection you hold for her," she finished supportively.

Tokiya gave her a genuine smile. "She's very precious to me."

Mifuyu reached up to ruffle Tokiya's wayward fringe. "Who'd have ever thought that of the two of us you'd be the romantic one?" she voiced thoughtfully, her eyes misting as she thought of her own arranged marriage. "Take care of her, she's a keeper."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

Tokiya leaned down and kissed his sister's cheek before opening the car door for her. The siblings said their final goodbyes before he watched his sister drive off.

…

The most gruesome and terrifying scenes in cinematic history flashed on the television screen but the two teenagers on the couch barely took notice, both rather pre-occupied with each other's lips instead.

It had started out innocently, really. Fuuko had mentioned that she had never seen 'The Exorcist' which was a film that gave Tokiya nightmares for months when he was seven years old. He just happened to have a DVD of it at his apartment, and since it was a Friday, Fuuko agreed to come over and watch it with him. They were settled on the couch, with Tokiya leaning on an armrest while Fuuko was cuddled up to him. One minute he was tracing circles on her exposed thigh and the next Fuuko was on her back and Tokiya was hovering on top of her, their mouths glued to each other.

Her white school blouse was unbuttoned down to her navel and he had long gotten rid of his shirt, allowing her to run her hands across the sinewy muscles of his back. Their lips and tongue moved sinfully against each other, their warm breaths mingling together. Fuuko squealed into his mouth as a hand made its way under the cup of her bra and squeezed her plump breast. Her eyes shot wide open when she felt him push her bra upwards, exposing her breasts to the cold air before he disentangled their lips and immediately swooped in to suck a pert nipple. His left hand that had been massaging her thigh slipped under her skirt and rubbed her through her panties. Even through the hazy pleasure she realized that things were very quickly spiraling out of control. She forcefully pushed his shoulders to get his attention and weakly asked him to stop.

It took him a moment to realize that the girl underneath him had stopped responding to his touches and soon her breathy whispers requesting him to stop reached his foggy brain. He lifted his head and relinquished his hold of her and she quickly righted her bra and sat up, compelling him to follow.

"Baby? Why are we stopping?" he asked breathily. His hair had tumbled free of its neat ponytail and his eyes were still glazed over with lust.

Fuuko sighed as she buttoned up her school shirt, much to his disappointment. She should've expected his actions in a way. This was the first time they had been truly alone since that night she came to his room and they lost their virginities to each other. They hadn't exactly talked about that aspect of their relationship since.

"Look, Mi-chan I know you have certain expectations. After all we've already, well, you know."

He smirked at her bashfulness. "We've already had sex, Fuuko. I think you should be able to say it without turning seven shades of red," he joshed.

She slapped his arm and he yelped because damn it, that actually hurt. "What I'm saying is, I know we've already had sex. Don't get me wrong, that night was special but I'm not sure it happened for the right reasons or at the very least neither of us we're thinking straight. It was a very emotional time and everything just sort of happened. I just think we went a little bit too fast. I don't want you to think that I'm second guessing us or that I'm being a tease. I mean I like kissing you and being intimate but sex is just a bit much at this time, I think. I mean we're not even out in the open yet-"

He pinched her lips together with his fingers to shush her. She was babbling and it didn't seem like she would stop anytime soon so he felt the need to help her pace herself. "I get it. Sex is a big deal. It doesn't have to be part of our relationship," he paused to consider his statement and quickly added, "at least for now."

She shoved his fingers away from her mouth. "Thanks," she said with a smile.

Tokiya tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "We should probably stop then," he said. He was a little worked up and it was probably going to be painful for him in a while but he wasn't going to be a jerk and tell her that. "We can just watch a movie or talk and have dinner. It's up to you."

Fuuko smiled at his thoughtfulness and consideration. It enamored her that sometimes he would act like a typical eighteen year old boy but when it counted he was mature beyond his years. "Dinner sounds good, I'm starving. And the bits and pieces I saw of 'The Exorcist' seemed interesting," she said. She turned her head and saw that the credits were already rolling on the screen. "We kind of missed that boat though."

"Well, there's this technology we like to call rewinding. I'm not sure if you've heard of it," he deadpanned.

"Haha, funny," she returned sardonically.

Tokiya handed her the remote control. "Why don't you rewind that to the start, if you can handle it," she punched his arm for that, "and I'll go order some Italian gourmet."

"Is Italian gourmet your fancy term for pizza?" she said with an impish grin.

He smirked and nodded.

"Then go get me some chicken wings while you're at it," she ordered.

They watched 'The Exorcist' together and suffice to say it scared the living daylights out of Fuuko. Because it doesn't matter if you're the strongest and toughest warrior that ever walked the planet, 'The Exorcist' will get to you. Tokiya was sure he would have to buy a new couch with the way Fuuko was clawing at the leather upholstery. After the movie ended he decided to treat her to a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'. He had quite a penchant for classic horror movies. And to be honest, it was amusing to watch the usually gutsy female ninja cower behind a throw pillow.

"Why are you making me watch this?" Fuuko asked hysterically as she watched Norman Bates argue with his "mother."

"It's genius film-making Fuuko. I'm just trying to inject a little culture in your life," he answered innocently.

She never had a chance to retort as she involuntarily let out a girlish scream when the private detective Arbogast had his face slashed before being pushed down the stairs. All this time he had been trying to hold back his snickers but finally gave in when she jumped up and the bowl of popcorn on her lap tumbled over her legs.

"I hate you," she pronounced venomously though her eyes remained glued to the screen.

"No you don't," he said, ruffling the top of her head.

It was at that moment that a loud ringing penetrated the air. Fuuko clutched her heart as if she was afraid it would jump out of her chest. It was only until she realized that it was her phone that she was able to breathe again. She reached inside her pocket and pressed the call button.

"Hello?"

Tokiya could hear the muffled sobs on the other end but couldn't make out what the person on the other end was saying.

"Calm down, tell me where you are," Fuuko said, concern dripping in her tone. "Stay put okay? I'll be right there."

Fuuko ended the call and turned to Tokiya.

"You need to go?" he asked, not hiding his disappointment.

She nodded. "That was Recca, he's not in a good place right now."

"Oh."

"Don't give me that look," she said, just a little bit incensed. "Recca's my best friend. We've been friends since we were in diapers. He needs me right now, as his friend. That's all there is to it."

"I understand," he said with a sigh.

Fuuko looked at him suspiciously before deciding she really didn't have the time to coddle his ego at the moment. "I'll call you in the morning." She leaned over and kissed his lips softly before standing up.

He helped her put on her coat and walked her to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned back to him once more. "Mi-chan, while I'm out, maybe you can call Yanagi."

Tokiya furrowed his eyebrows at her odd request. "Why?"

"I just think it'd be good if she heard from you. I'm not sure if it's a good idea for her to know about us while everything's still so fresh, but I think it'd make her feel better if you assured her that it's not her fault, what happened," Fuuko said.

"She talked to you?"

"Yeah," she replied honestly.

Tokiya nodded, never betraying any emotion on his face. It wasn't like he had anything to hide. He just wanted to shield her from his own guilt, he felt as if she shouldn't have to feel responsible for the mess they were undoubtedly making. He wanted her to be happy and just keep her happy.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of things," he said. He pulled her in for a last lingering kiss.

"Be safe," he whispered in her ear just before he gave it a little nibble.

"Good night, Mi-chan."

…

Recca's hands shook as he finished telling the story his mother had relayed to him days before. His eyes were red and his hair clung to his forehead. He probably smelled like shit too, considering he'd been locked up in the cheap motel room for four days and he had run out of clean clothes two days ago. He needed time alone, to think, to figure things out for himself. But when he couldn't stand it anymore he called the only two people he could trust at this time.

Fuuko rubbed his back, the two of them sitting on the edge of the bed. Domon leaned against the battered dresser in front of them in stony silence.

"It's like my entire life is a lie," Recca mumbled.

Fuuko looked to Domon but the big guy just shook his head. Neither knew what to say, both were still shocked after hearing the truth about Recca's family and consequently learning the role both their fathers had in it.

Recca ran a hand through his grimy black locks. "You know the strange thing. I can't hate my brother for what he did."

"What do you plan to do now?" Fuuko finally asked.

"I haven't really thought it through. All I know is that my brother wants a war, but I can't let that happen. These are my people now, and I need to protect them," he said determinedly.

Domon moved up to them and placed a heavy hand on Recca's shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you man. I'll do anything for you."

"You sound like you're about to confess your undying love for me," Recca deadpanned.

Domon backhanded the side of his head. "I'm being serious here, jackass."

Fuuko giggled. "You two are hopeless," she said with a roll of her eyes. She focused on Recca once more. "But it's true though. We're both here for you. We're the tripod."

Fuuko held out her pinky. Domon immediately hooked his pinky with hers. "Nothing can break us apart."

"And together we're unbeatable," Recca finished as he joined his pinky with theirs.

The three settled in for the night; neither Domon nor Fuuko were willing to leave Recca alone. Domon shifted uncomfortably on the lumpy bed which irritated Recca to no end.

"Damn it, Domon. Stop wiggling; you're giving me a headache. Fuuko switch places with me," he whined from his position in the center of the bed.

"No, I told you I am not sleeping beside Domon. He has wandering hands," Fuuko harrumphed.

"Well that doesn't bode well for me," Recca said fretfully. "Domon go sleep on the couch."

"No! It has bugs!" Domon squeaked.

"Seriously, Recca, you couldn't have checked in to a nicer hotel instead of this dump. A love motel? Honestly? You should've seen the looks I got from the lecher down at the front desk when I told him I'm coming up to this room. He probably thinks we're going to have a three-way," Fuuko complained.

"Well I wasn't exactly thinking of your comfort when I ran away from home. It's the bright neon lights, okay? They attack your retinas and pull you in," the flame caster retorted.

"You two need to shut up, I'm trying to get some sleep here," Domon reprimanded.

"We would if you would stop fidgeting you big oaf," Recca returned. He turned to his side to try and create some space between him and Domon and slithered an arm around Fuuko, cuddling her back.

"Why's he allowed to cuddle with you?" Domon pouted in the dark.

"Because he's not a pervert." At the exact moment she said those words, Fuuko felt Recca's arm cushion the underside of her breasts. She hit his nose with the back of her head. "Seriously, Recca, at this time?"

"Heh." The boy was absolutely unapologetic about it. "You didn't mind last summer."

Fuuko's cheeks reddened before she elbowed his stomach. "Shut up!"

"What're you two talking about?" Domon asked curiously.

"Nothing," they replied in unison their guilty flushes hidden in the dark.

"Let's just go to sleep, okay. I think we're all knackered," Fuuko finally said, not wanting to let the conversation go down that path.

Domon finally found a comfortable position on his side, facing the night stand. Fuuko let Recca hug her back as long as his hands remained on neutral ground.

"Hey guys," Recca said after a minute. "Thanks."

Fuuko patted his hip and Domon reached back a hand to slap the flame caster's back in a friendly manner. Recca smiled contentedly, whatever happened the three of them were in this together.

…

The fire lights danced across his face as he turned the page of his book. It was an old one, from one of his favorite fantasy authors. He'd read it a hundred times before but every time he still got sucked in to the narrative. He never quite got over his love of adventure books even as he'd gotten older and more jaded.

"Still the nerd, Kurei-kun."

Kurei looked up and saw Raiha leaning against the open doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smirk playing on his lips. Kurei earmarked the page he was on and placed the book on the table beside him before he got up from his comfortable chair and walked up to his friend. Raiha met him halfway and they greeted each other with a tight embrace.

"I missed you, my old friend," Raiha croaked.

"And I, you," Kurei answered sincerely. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I needed some time to lose the trail behind me. I knew Fujimaro-san would have had me followed," the Nashikiri ninja said.

"I'm glad you're here now. We can begin the next stage of our plans," Kurei said.

"What exactly is the plan?" Raiha asked. Kurei's motives had always been shrouded in secrecy but Raiha trusted his friend enough to follow him blindly.

Kurei motioned for Raiha to come sit with him by the fireplace. He poured them each a glass of bourbon from a canter.

"With your help we were able to gather and build a powerful team of Madogou masters. Come Monday, while the element of surprise is still on our side and the country is still in chaos with the death of Ouka Hanabishi, we shall march to the gates of Nashikiri and peacefully demand that they hand over the throne to its rightful heir. If they do not comply, I will be more than ready to force them," Kurei explained.

Raiha tapped his glass in thought. "You shouldn't underestimate Nashikiri's army. It's true that we have acquired many of the most invaluable Madogous but a lot still remain with some private ninja families."

"Like the Ensui and the Fuujin, you mean?" Kurei returned knowingly.

Raiha nodded his assent.

"From what I hear they're in the possession of two very young fighters. I doubt that they will be able to overpower ninjas twice their age," he concluded.

"I don't know about the Ensui master, but Fuuko is extremely skilled, not just for her age. There's also the matter of your younger brother. He has not completed his training but he is very powerful and even more determined," Raiha argued.

Kurei dismissed off his worries. "Regardless, I doubt three neophytes can ward off our attack so easily. Even if we do not fully penetrate the city, we most definitely will weaken their army. And we will keep coming at them. Our main advantage is that they have civilians to protect, and we have nothing to lose."

Raiha smirked malevolently at his friend's genius. He raised his glass in the air. "To your victory."

Kurei clinked their glasses together. "To ours, my friend."

_To be continued…_

**End Author's Notes: **I hope you guys enjoyed that. I loved writing the friendships in this chapter. I kinda cracked myself up with Recca, Domon and Fuuko. And YES I went there with RecFuu! I couldn't help it, the sexual tension between them is hard to ignore! But don't worry, it's in the past but it will play a bit part in the story down the line. I can just imagine Tokiya's reaction. Hahahahhahaha. Kurei/Raiha is still love!

**Tiny Promotion: **I wrote a little ditty called 'Save Room' while taking a break from this fic. SHOW IT SOME LOVE! (It's Rated M)

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW! BECAUSE I AM A GLUTTON FOR REVIEWS!**


	9. Trampled Under Foot

**Disclaimer: **FoR belongs to Anzai-sama. Trampled Under Foot is by Led Zeppelin. I know, shocker. Hee.

**Author's Notes: **I've gotten excited again with writing ESILY. So much thanks to **obsessed dreamer** for nightly plotting chats!

**Thanks also to those who reviewed! You inspire me to continue writing! Anne Raven** (that's really part of Yanagi's journey, her character is interesting for me because she is so flawed and she needs so much growing up. Her storylines are fun to map out) **Eirist** (Thanks! And I love Kurei, I plan to explore his story further along with his relationship with Raiha) **kyLaaa** (ahahahah, yes I have plans for Tokiya discovering about RecFuu) **crystaliz **(aww, sweetie thank you. Even just an update soon is very much appreciated, all authors love to know that readers are, well, reading. It makes us feel that we are entertaining people with our hard work.) **aki reinhart **(You and everyone else! I so have plans to bring that up in the future…in detail. LOL!) **SnowCharms **(Thank you! Yuzura was a bitch, but purpose of the next generation is to make right the mistakes of the previous generation and that plays a big part in this fic) **TuckingFypo **(I hate horror movies too and had fun torturing Fuuko with it! Hee! Thanks so much!) **khay** (BB UPDATE COMEDY OF ERRORS NOW! Sorry, I am very demanding. And that second favorite of yours was my personal favorite, haha) **thepinkmartini** (I will be writing more of Kurei because he is AWESOME!) **kyusetsuki satsuki **(A lot of hot things, hee. You just wait!)

**HOPE YOU HAVE FUN READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Chapter Eight: Trampled Under Foot**

"I don't get this at all," Fuuko muttered as she put another popcorn in her mouth.

Tokiya patted her thigh. He loved the fact that his girlfriend seemed to only own shorts. He was currently reclining on his couch while Fuuko sat on his lap sideways while they watched a game of football featuring his favorite team on the telly. "It's a difficult sport. It requires a lot of stamina, strength and agility."

"But it's so lame. All they do is run back and forth. We've been watching this game for two hours now and the score is still 1-0," she complained. "Can we watch something else?"

He pulled her back against his chest and tucked her head under his chin. "Let me just please finish this one game," he said tiredly.

Fuuko buried her head in his neck. "I'm being such a whiny girlfriend, aren't I?" Her face was red with embarrassment.

She could feel his chuckles coming out of his diaphragm. "A tiny bit. It's a good thing you're hot."

She retaliated by pinching his stomach. "Just watch the game."

…

Fuuko had a giddy smile on her face for the duration of her short walk back to her house. It wasn't like they did anything special. Their relationship was still under wraps and that limited the things they could do together. They just stayed at his apartment, talked some, watched shows on the telly, ate dinner and shared kisses here and there. But discovering mundane things about him, how he liked his eggs, his love for football, how anal he can get about laundry, was oddly satisfying. It made her feel like they were normal. Just two teenagers exploring their attraction, getting to know one another and slowly falling for each other. In those moments she was able to pretend that he was just a handsome boy from school that made her heart flutter and her knees weak. He wasn't the boy who was once betrothed to her cousin, and subsequently broke her cousin's heart to be with her.

Fuuko opened the front door to her home just in time to see her father descending down the marble staircase. He regarded her with a light scowl after he checked the time on his watch.

"Where have you been young lady? It's late."

She couldn't help the slight trembling of her hands. Her father was very intimidating.

"I was just out with some friends," she said meekly.

Fujimaro raised an eyebrow at her. "What friends? Recca just called here earlier asking for you. Says he couldn't contact your cellphone."

Fuuko rolled her eyes despite herself. "I do have other friends, Dad," she answered, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Do you mind telling me the names of these friends?" he persisted.

She bit her lip. She knew she couldn't get away with lying to her father; he wasn't a decorated general for nothing. "I was studying with Tokiya Mikagami. We're partners in Madogou theory class. And then we just grabbed a bite after; I didn't realize it was so late. My phone was on vibrate the entire time. I didn't say anything because of the entire issue with Yanagi and Aunt Jun and the Mikagamis." It's not that she was lying; she was just holding back some truths.

Bless her father but he did turn a blind eye when it came to his children's words. He walked up to her and gently kissed her on the temple. "I do trust your judgment, princess. You know very well I would never dictate who you can be friends with. Next time make sure to tell me where you are and come home early. We're in a very delicate situation right now, and you need to be very careful. You're not only my daughter, you're also a Madogou master."

Fuuko swallowed the guilt she felt. "I know, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Fujimaro patted her purple head. "Go on to bed. You have school tomorrow."

She hugged her father. "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, princess."

…

It was a dark day. Heavy clouds loomed over the sky. Fuuko couldn't help but feel there was something ominous in the air but she tried to ignore it. Instead she focused on the uneaten baked potato in front of her. On any given day she would've wolfed the food down by now, but her appetite was off.

"Have you seen Recca?"

Domon looked up from his plate, a piece of fried chicken still hanging from his lips. He shook his head. "He didn't come to school today."

Fuuko didn't hide the worry in her face.

"There's a lot of things going on with him right now. School's the last thing on his mind," Domon said, trying to reassure her.

Just then Fuuko spied Tokiya coming inside the lunchroom from her peripheral vision. He seemed so lost, standing there with his brown paper bag and looking for a place to sit in the crowded canteen. She really wanted to invite him to sit with them but didn't want to raise suspicions.

"Yo, Mikagami! Over here!"

Fuuko stared blankly at Domon who was waving over her secret boyfriend. She turned to Tokiya once more, relief washed over his face and he headed over their table without a moment's hesitation. He sat on the plastic chair in front of her and Domon and placed the brown bag containing his lunch on the tabletop.

"You two are friends?" Fuuko asked with a bewildered look on her face. She knew of course that they knew each other but Domon had never expressed any interest in the senior, much less invite him to eat lunch with them.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a talk and came to an understanding." Domon winked conspiratorially at Tokiya.

"That sounds like you're having an affair," Fuuko said with a straight face.

Tokiya snorted the soda he was drinking. "Bad mental image."

Somehow her appetite had returned once Tokiya joined them. She had barely talked to him during lunch though. It turned out that the Ensui wielder and her bulky friend share the same passion for football and were both rabid fans of the same team. They might as well have conversed in gibberish, she could barely understand any of the terms they used. But she was glad though that her boyfriend and one of her best and oldest friends got along exceedingly well. That just might change though once Domon learned that she and Tokiya were involved.

The two were in the middle of arranging a viewing of the next game at Tokiya's house, he had regaled that he had ordered it on pay per view, when the sharp bleep coming from the school's PA system interrupted them.

A throaty voice they all recognized as the stern lady who manned the registrar's office swept over the room. "All students are required to proceed to the Aiko Hanabishi Gymnasium. Please follow the protocols for an emergency evacuation. Uniformed army men are currently within the premises of the school to assist and guide students, faculty and employee."

The announcement was repeated over and over. The three students watched as six Nashikiri soldiers entered the lunchroom and gave quick instructions to everyone inside. They were told to leave all bags in the room and line up in two files. Fuuko quickly recognized her brother Eisen in full fatigue gear. She stood up and quickly approached her brother and Tokiya and Domon followed her.

"Eisen, what's going on?" Fuuko asked fretfully.

Eisen turned to her, not shocked to see his sister in the school. He took her to the side to make sure they would not be overheard. He was about to speak when he spied the two boys eagerly listening behind his sister. He recognized Domon of course but the one with the steel grey eyes was foreign to him.

"Don't worry about him, he can be trusted," she said, reading Eisen's thoughts.

Eisen took a moment to hesitate but knew that Fuuko wouldn't vouch for just anyone. What he was about to say wasn't classified information anyhow, they were just keeping it under wraps as to prevent panic among the younger students, especially those without any preliminary military training.

"There's a situation at the borders," Eisen began gravely, "The perpetrators of the bombing have made themselves known. They are poised to attack from what it seems. Father is already there and Shuichi went with him."

"Is Recca there?" she quickly asked. Her face was contorted with worry.

"Yes."

"How many?"

"More than a seventy, less than a hundred."

Fuuko nodded, going over the numbers in her head. "It shouldn't be a problem, our army can crush that number easily."

Eisen's lips thinned, wondering if he was right to tell her. "They were all armed with psychic devices, Fuuko."

Her eyes widened and her skin turned a pallid white. She didn't doubt the Nashikiri army's competence and strength. But even the most skilled soldier going up against a Madogou master would be like a mortal going up against a god. There have been one or two psychic device holders who have defected against Nashikiri before and they were dealt with swiftly. But they moved alone. Seventy to a hundred Madogou wielders in a unified front would be like taking on a ten thousand strong army. Maybe more, depending on the power of the psychic device they hold and the experience and skill of its owner.

"Take me there, Eisen," she said decisively. Her eyes flared with determination.

Eisen sighed with resignation. "I knew you'd say that. Dad won't be happy."

"Dad knew this day would come when Fuujin chose me," she said.

"I'm coming with you," Tokiya spoke up suddenly. "Ensui," he supplied as explanation when Fuuko's brother eyed him curiously.

"Ooohh, you're the one who dumped Yanagi," the purple-haired man said tactlessly.

Fuuko rolled her eyes and socked Eisen's side. "Now's not the time for that."

Domon, who had been quiet the whole time as he absorbed the information, tentatively spoke up. "I want to go too."

She looked to Eisen for permission. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Domon. I can't let you come. You're by all respects still a civilian. You're going to have to stay here."

Fuuko, in a rare display of affection for the friend who she often regarded as a pervert, held his hand close to her heart. "Recca would want you safe. This is a bit more dangerous than our usual exploits."

Domon pulled her into a hug. He had always been the clown, the putz, the weakest. There was nothing special about him, no powerful psychic device, no magical flame. He was just Domon. He had never minded before, satisfied with the card he was dealt with, but now it pained him more than anything in the world. "You two come back safe, okay?"

Fuuko hugged him tightly. "I promise. You stay here and watch over Yanagi, alright?"

He smiled back at her and nodded, knowing the request was for both her and Recca.

Eisen uneasily broke the tender moment between the two friends. "Come on, Fuuko. We gotta move."

Fuuko let Domon go and let him join the students filing out of the cafeteria. She turned to Tokiya and grabbed his hand, ignoring the questioning eyes of her brother. They ran after Eisen outside where a military jeep awaited them.

…

Fujimaro had been a soldier and a ninja since he was sixteen. He became a father when he was eighteen. He only knew how to do two things, being a family man and serving his country. Right now it seemed that he couldn't even do those two things.

His eldest son (Eisen made sure that everyone acknowledged the fact that he was two minutes older than Shuichi) had arrived mere moments ago with her daughter in tow and another man who he immediately recognized as Tokiya Mikagami. The military of course kept tabs on all owners of Hokage's most invaluable weapons. The boy, good-looking as he was, was difficult to forget. Female staff members who handled his files often gushed about his latest pictures for profiling. His information folder was infamous for being the thickest because whoever was cataloguing the Madogou wielders' files somehow thought it necessary to keep his photos regularly updated.

"General Kirisawa, reporting for duty, Sir!" Eisen gave him a formal salute. Fujimaro had instilled in his sons to address him as General when they were on the field.

"Daddy," Fuuko greeted casually as if she wasn't barreling head on to a deadly battle.

"Sir," Tokiya said cordially.

"At ease, soldier," he returned. He turned to his only daughter, his princess. "What are you doing here?"

"Eisen advised me of the situation. As the current master of Fuujin, I have a responsibility to be here," she said, choosing her words to make her sound as adult as possible.

Fujimaro's heart clenched at the truth in her words. He had always been a loyal servant of his country, but he was her father first. "You are not a member of the army. You have no business being here. Take her to the evacuation center, Eisen," he commanded.

Her face scrunched up with frustration and annoyance at her father. "You and I both know that my army tenure would just be a formality. The moment I held onto the Fuujin I stopped being your daughter and became a ninja for our country," she argued stubbornly.

The chief general whipped an angry finger on his daughter's face. "I am still your father, young lady and I am telling you to go back."

Fuuko had opened her mouth to contest his judgment but someone beat her to it.

"Fuuko is right, General." The oily voice of Saitou, their finance chief, cut into their exchange. He walked up to the group; he had shed his usual coat and tie and pulled out his old ninja uniform. "Your judgment in this matter is understandably clouded, but we all know that we would need all capable Madogou masters at this point. She may be your daughter, but she is also the Fuujin's master. We have already assembled other elemental masters that are much younger than her, if you force her to stay back your decision can be called into question."

Fujimaro despised the fact that there was nothing he could do. Saitou was right; they needed the most powerful weapons in their arsenal against Kurei's army. Nashikiri had lived in peace for more than a decade and they had perhaps made the mistake of passing on Madogou's while the next generation was still too young. No one had expected that they would be robbed of their luxury of time to train and further master their weapons. They still had the tenured and experienced masters, such as those under Kuukai's team, but many were as young, if not younger, than Fuuko. All had been educated well but have yet to be tried in a real battle. It would be a baptism of fire.

"Daddy, don't worry," Fuuko whispered.

He smiled ruefully at his daughter. "You can't ask me that," he said resignedly, "Fuuko, those people out there, they're not out to just hurt you or disarm you. They will kill."

She nodded her head, understanding the weight of his words. "I know. I'll be careful."

"If you think you would be unable to overcome your opponent, it would not be cowardice to renege." He looked up to the boy standing stalwartly behind Fuuko. "That goes for you too."

Tokiya acknowledged the elder general's words with respect.

Fujimaro instructed Eisen to go back to the school and take the second battalion and half the members of Team Kuukai with him. They needed to make sure that civilians remain protected should the army's defenses be breached. He then turned to the two teenagers and told them to follow him to the war room they had set up near the borders.

Fuuko and Tokiya entered the crowded tent and discovered that some of their schoolmates were present as well. Recca was in the middle of the room, looking over a map that was spread over the table. Fujimaro joined him shortly and said something to Recca that Fuuko couldn't hear.

Recca turned around and immediately walked up to Fuuko. He flung an arm around her and kissed her on her forehead, something that didn't go over well with Tokiya.

"Domon?" he asked.

"He's okay. He's back at school, probably been relocated to a safer area now," Fuuko said.

Recca sighed with relief. "Good, good."

Tokiya looked around the room and observed the people present. That man wasn't kidding earlier when he said they had recruited young people. He spotted a boy with spiky brown hair, wearing baggy blue pants and an orange hoodie, carrying what seemed to be a heavy scythe like device that sparkled with gold. He couldn't have been older than twelve.

Fujimaro began addressing his army of Madogou masters. His imposing voice reverberated around the room and demanded everyone's attention. "From what we have gathered, the enemy's army is situated in the South and Eastern gates. It will only be a while before they finally break down the barriers we have placed. We have already deployed a team of soldiers and medics in the area. I will only say this once; I do not want any of you trying to act like a hero. You get wounded badly, pull back, if your enemy runs, do not chase them. Stay within the gates and let them come to you. If they fight within our territory, it will be an advantage for us since we are familiar with the terrain. I will deploy you in teams of two. Take care of yourself and take care of your partner. I will not have any casualties today."

Tokiya was not surprised that Fuuko was paired up with Recca, Fujimaro may not have gotten his way earlier but he would do his damned best to keep her as safe as possible by making sure she stay by the side of those he perceived to be the strongest.

"Mikagami, go with Koganei." Fujimaro cocked his head towards the boy Tokiya had observed earlier. "He's your superior, boy, follow his lead," he said to the younger of the two.

The elemental masters headed out the tent, adrenaline pumping through their veins. Fuuko conspicuously tapped Tokiya's wrist.

"I'll follow you outside," she said to Recca, "I'm going to grab some sweats in here, I'm not going to fight out there in a skirt."

Recca rolled his eyes a muttered 'Girls' under his breath before leaving the tent. Fuuko turned to Tokiya, those left inside the tent barely paid attention to them.

"Be careful," she muttered softly.

"I'll see you after this." Tokiya could tell she was trying hard to smile but could only muster a wince.

"I will," she returned, hoping they could both keep their promise. She looked around the room to make sure that everyone was still busy before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him lightly. He didn't care at this point who saw so he held on to the back of her head and returned her kiss thoroughly.

Neither wanted to say goodbye so Fuuko just left wordlessly, forgetting all about her sweats.

"That your girlfriend?"

Tokiya turned around. The boy, Koganei he believed, was standing behind him, the weapon that spanned his height leaning against his shoulder.

"You could say that," he said with a non-committal shrug.

Koganei seemed to be assessing his memory of Fuuko before speaking up once again. "A little on the butch side but she's got a great rack."

Tokiya had to remind himself that the boy was probably just twelve and resisted the urge to smack him upside the head. "Do not call her butch. And aren't you a little too young to be speaking like that? It's disrespectful."

Koganei snorted. "What are you eighty?"

Tokiya scowled at him and grabbed him by the hoodie. "Let's just move out of here."

…

Recca stood under the blistering heat; the sun's scorching rays energized the blood in his body. He faced the eastern gate that seemed to have come to life at the force being pushed against it on the other end. Around him stood some thirty Madogou masters, all pumped up for battle. It was a majestic sight, seeing all of the most powerful Hokage ninjas standing together as one.

He heard the painful crackle of the invisible electric shield before a rain of lightning burst out of the metal and copper posts standing around the gates, signaling its final hoorah.

"You ready, Fuuko," he said to the girl beside him.

She flexed the fingers on her right hand, feeling the familiar weight of her Fuujin that was strapped on her arm. "I was born ready."

Recca watched the hard metal gates fall; a deafening clapping of thunder attacked his ears. In the far horizon his eyes zoned in on the color of saffron red moving violently with the wind.

His lips thinned into a line and his eyes narrowed with dread and anticipation. "We meet again, brother."

_To be continued…_

**End Notes: **Love Domon, poor bb. I have so much in store for this fic, we're not even close to hitting the climax. Hope you stay on that journey with me :D

**Next Chapter: **The battle, some Domon and Yanagi (NOT ROMANCE!), Tokiya discovers a nasty surprise. Someone may or may not die.

**Promotion: **I finished Crouching Fuuko, Hidden Tokiya, a three parter of the porn inclination. LOL. Hope you can take the time to read it for some fun. :D

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND HOPE YOU WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW!**


	10. Bring It On Home

**Disclaimer: **Flame of Recca was created by Anzai-sama. I'm just playing with the characters. "Bring It On Home" is by Led Zeppelin.

**Author's Notes: **Yay! I finally finished it! This was a bit hard for me to do because I'm not really good with action sequences. I hope it still entertains you. No betas, all mistakes are mine.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry I can't do my individual replies right now, but I really, really appreciate it It's nice to hear from readers.

**Thank you in advance for reading and please don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Nine: Bring It On Home**

It was hard to tell who was winning and who was losing. Tokiya couldn't even tell how much time had passed; it could have been minutes or hours. The sun was riding low on the east and set an orange glow around the field. The smell of sweat and blood clogged his nose and prickled his eyes. His muscles felt like it was burning from exhaustion but he would not give in.

The woman-child in front of him was wearing a short kimono and her blue hair was tied up in pigtails. A blue bandana was knotted around her left thigh. It was the enemy's color. Blue; the symbol for peace. The irony was not lost on him.

Tokiya was tired but knew she was worse for wear. She was a quick one; he'll give her that. But she was also mind-numbingly dimwitted and overly confident, a most fatal combination if there ever was one. Blood was soaking her already red kimono where Ensui had cut across clean to the outer skin of her stomach. It wasn't a fatal wound, he had no intentions of killing her but it was more than enough to subdue her.

"Don't look so smug, that was more pathetic than a paper cut!" she yelled in her shrill voice.

"If it was just a paper cut then why are you shaking in your boots?" he returned arrogantly.

Tokiya smirked as another shiver ran through her. She was definitely feeling the effects of his Ensui now. He'd never had intentions of making her bleed into submission; all he needed was to let Ensui plant its effect onto her skin. The ice crystals he had manipulated was no making its way through her blood. Hypothermia would soon set in and before she knew it she'd drop to the ground without ever figuring out what happened. And then he would move in for the kill.

"You've gotten awfully quiet. None of you asinine comebacks?" he taunted stoically.

She coughed up and icy smoke flew out of her mouth. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head, trying to decipher how she could be this cold in this insufferable desert heat. Her hands clutched onto the heart of her clothes, unconsciously seeking some form of warmth. Her knees were the first to give way, dropping to the dry, hot soil with a sickening thud. Her arms fell to her sides like heavy dumbbells. Her face fell forward and her chest hit the ground, a smoke of dust flying around her.

Tokiya casually walked to the woman's side and quickly disarmed her of the sharp Dokumashin fitted over her small hands. The poisoned claws sizzled at his touch as if recognizing the foreign contact. He quickly tied her hands back with the blue obi belt she wore around her waist. He could feel the disdain seeping out of her pores as he threw her over his shoulder callously. She was still conscious although completely immobile. He would hand her over to the army and let them decide what to do with her. He didn't know if someone who was obviously a low level ninja would be privy to information that could be vital to them, but that wasn't his problem anymore.

He turned to walk back to the makeshift headquarters beyond the hill when a smoky, crass voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're takin' mah girl?"

…

Domon wandered aimlessly around the spacious bunkroom. It had taken two hours for the evacuation team to transport them to the secure military barracks located in the Northwestern side of Nashikiri; the geographically farthest location from the action. His fellow students were making themselves comfortable on the cots and pillows provided to them. He wished he knew where his parents were. He wished he were out there fighting alongside Recca and Fuuko. He wished he had finished that last piece of chicken, because damn it he was hungry and it didn't look like they were going to be fed soon. He wished for a lot of things basically.

In the far corner of the room he spied Yanagi, sitting by herself on the floor and hugging a fluffy pillow with a far off look on her face. He didn't really know her that well. They've exchanged maybe ten words with each other throughout the years they knew of each other's existence. To him she was simply Fuuko's cousin and Recca's lifelong crush. But she was as familiar as he was going to get inside this depressingly grey painted room. He never really had a lot of friends. He can never trust anyone other than Fuuko and Recca to accept him for the bumbling idiot he sometimes was. That's right, sometimes, he did have his moments of glory. Like that one time in sophomore year when he got an A in Spanish. Que Pasa!

He walked up to the diminutive brunette and took the empty spot beside her. Yanagi looked up to his heavy form and he was half afraid she was going to faint judging from the look of sheer shock on her face.

"What up?" he greeted with a toothy grin.

"Hi," she returned shyly.

Then there was a long and awkward silence as both of them thought very hard about what to say next. Domon should really think things through more thoroughly.

"Why are you sitting here by yourself?" he finally said after noticing that the friends she usually ate lunch with were all huddled together in a single bunk bed.

Yanagi sighed with relief, seemingly happy that he was able to come up with something. "I didn't really feel like talking to them," she answered honestly.

"How come?" he asked, looking genuinely interested in what she had to say.

Yanagi pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs tightly. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, as if considering if she should say something. Domon noticed the dark circles under her eyes and reddish tint on the whites of her eyeballs. He had rarely seen the girl up close but he was sure those weren't there before. She must not have been sleeping well.

"I'm sure you've heard of the latest scandal about me. That's all they ever want to talk about," she finally said, smiling ruefully.

"Oh."

Domon wasn't sure what else to say. He had of course heard of it, it was all anyone talked about during homeroom period. Personally he had nothing against Mikagami. He thought it was good on him to break the engagement if he really didn't want it. For one, he was eighteen years old, are his parents drinking crazy pills? Who the hell wants to get married at eighteen? Arranged marriages, he thought, were dumb and dated. He also found it elitist. The only people who still upheld the tradition were old rich families who wanted to unite their money and power in order to gain more money and power. Of course he didn't think his diatribe would go over well with Yanagi, who still appeared to be distraught over the issue.

"I saw you had lunch with him earlier. I didn't know you two were friends," she said. There was no malice in her voice so Domon didn't think she resented him for that.

"I guess, yeah. We haven't really been friend that long. I used to just tag along when he and Fuuko have their sparring sessions," he muttered.

There was the slightest look of controlled shock in her face. "I didn't know that."

"Really?" There was an obvious look of surprise on his face. He'd been there for some of Fuuko and Tokiya's practice and knew that the two spent a significant amount of time together sparring and other things that he may not have been present for.

Yanagi could not control the tiny bit of resentment that seeped into her tone. "I guess there's a lot of things I didn't know about him," she said.

Domon stretched his legs out in front of him and tried to massage away the needles that crept up his calves. "Well, maybe it's a good thing then that you two aren't getting married. Do you really want to get married to someone you didn't know that well?" he said simply. Because to him it was simple, Tokiya obviously held little interest in her. Why would any girl want to marry anyone who'd rather suffer injuries in the hand of his brutish female best friend instead of getting to know them?

Yanagi tried to absorb his words. She really did. She told herself time and time again that maybe this was for the best, that there really wasn't enough invested between them for her to hold onto their relationship. But it still hurt. Her friends had told her to get over it and called him some nasty names (because that's what girlfriends did). But how do you just get over it? How can she just get over something that she had been looking forward to her whole life? They would get married and then she would go off to medical school while he would complete his tenure in the army. After that they would buy a nice little white house in Nashikiri, a house she could decorate herself without her mother's influence. Then they would start a little family, a sweet little girl she could spoil and two boys that their father would train. She had been picturing it all her life. How does she just get over that?

"Eh, are you okay, Yanagi?" Domon nudged the brunette girl's leg with his foot. She looked like she was close to tears.

"I'm sorry, I just zoned out there for a bit," she said. "Where is Fuuko-chan and Recca-kun?" she asked suddenly, realizing how rude she was being, so focused on her own problems.

Domon frowned slightly. "Out there fighting."

"I'm sure they'll be alright. Fuuko has always been so strong. And Recca-kun, he's very brave," she reassured him. She ignored her own worries about her cousin and focused on calming the obviously distressed Domon. "I can tell you wished they were here too. But I have faith that they'll be back soon with us."

A hollow laugh escaped his throat. "Actually I wished I was out there with them. But there's nothing special about me so I have to stay here."

Yanagi shook her head immediately. "Don't say that. I think there's something special about all of us," she said. She licked her lips and her eyes were downcast. "Maybe for some of us it just takes a bit of time to discover it."

Domon smiled in spite of himself. He wondered for the first time if Yanagi was as happy as she had always portrayed herself to be. "You should get some rest. We might be here for a while."

Yanagi looked around the room, running rampant with teenagers. "I don't think there's an available cot where I could lie down."

Domon, without rising from his position, yelled at a lanky boy who was snoring loudly on the bed in front of them. "You there! Get up and let the lady sleep."

The random boy scrambled out of the cot quickly as soon as he recognized Domon's voice. He may not have owned a psychic device but he was still intimidating. Have you seen those muscles?

Yanagi looked a bit conflicted. She badly wanted to lie down but she didn't feel right about kicking someone out of the bed.

"Go on, Yanagi. S'all yours," Domon encouraged her.

Oh well, she really was tired. "Thank you, Domon-kun."

Domon turned positively green. "None of the suffix bullshit. Just Domon would do."

Yanagi blushed furiously but managed to nod her assent. She handed him the pillow she was holding onto earlier. "You should rest too, Domon. We'll see them soon."

He managed a genuine smile. "Thanks Yanagi."

…

The boy never stood a chance. He must've been sixteen or seventeen, barely out of puberty. The high squeak of the boy's scream penetrated the metal armor around the enemy's head. The Taishaku Kaiten was pointed at the pasty little boy, as if directing his ascent. The ground fell off his feet as the electric chain coming from the power Madogou wrapped around his body.

Joker didn't consider himself sadistic or a sociopath. True, he loved chaos and he loved war. He didn't enjoy killing but it was a part of war that he had accepted. He twisted the psychic device and manipulated the electric pop tighter around the boy's body that he had floated into the air. He could smell the burning of skin and scrunched his nose. It was a nasty smell that reminded him of hot garbage.

The screams turned into labored gasps until it slowed down into nothing. He relinquished the hold of his Madogou and the boy's lifeless body fell on the ground. Charred lines appeared on his limbs and around his neck, Joker's personal artwork.

Joker said a little prayer before walking off to look for something more interesting.

...

Fuuko flew across the field like a lightweight discuss. She landed on the ground in a messy heap. The scrapes from her knees and elbows burned but it was nothing next to the deep slash on the side of her stomach. She could feel warm blood soaking her clothes and fought to stay conscious despite the nauseating pain. She squinted one eye open and watched the larger than life mace rotating in the air with trepidation.

It would just be her luck that her first opponent would be eight feet tall and four times her size. The man, no, creature seemed to have stepped right out of some sort of sci-fi horror film, complete with a hockey mask on his face and an armor shaped like animal claws. She had been doing pretty well avoiding him until a miscalculated turn and one metal spike pierced across her side.

"Give up, little girl." His voice was deep and strangely affectionate.

_Little girl._ He called her a little girl. Well at least he recognized that she was indeed a girl (that might have something to do with her godawful school skirt). But still, she hated the condescending affectation. Even when she had officially become the master of her Fuujin, her father and her brothers still treated her as if she was fragile, just because she was the girl. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if they were right to do so. She could never beat Recca, and he was probably the one person who never minded kicking her ass regardless of her gender. And while he taught her new tricks, she sometimes couldn't trust her sparring sessions with Tokiya to gauge her strength because she couldn't help but feel that he always went easy on her since he liked her.

"You're in over your head, you should give up now." The voice wasn't threatening; it was laced with ironic gentleness.

'I am so tired,' she thought. She could feel the ache in her muscles and there were bruises all over her. Her body had tightened and refused to move. _But…_but what? _You owe this to yourself._ The thoughts of her father, her brothers, Recca and Tokiya faded into the background of her consciousness. _This is all you, Fuuko._ Ever since she was a child everyone thought she always had it easy. She was the daughter of a renowned general, she was best friends with Recca Hanabishi, the country's leader treated her like he was his own daughter. They never saw, never believed just how hard it was for her as a woman to make it. Misogyny and sexism was still a big part of their culture even. A woman like her had to work doubly hard to get half the recognition they deserved. She didn't just land her way to the top; she clawed her way there. And now it was time to prove to herself just how strong she had become.

With renewed vigor, she pushed herself off the ground, ignoring her body's screams of pain. She snapped off one sleeve of her school blouse and wrapped it around her waist to try and control her the bleeding on her side.

"You should have backed out when you had the chance," the gargantuan man said.

Her eyes tinged red with determination. "Don't underestimate me."

Fuuko saw the mace come at her once more. Her injuries had affected her movement but she was still as quick and light footed as the wind. She easily evaded his target. While the spiked ball was deadly with its weight, it also had its disadvantages. Despite the magnanimous strength of her opponent, handling a weapon that probably weighed a ton would affect his speed and accuracy. It gave her an opportunity.

Fuuko waited until the very last second as the mace approached her for the seventh time before she jumped over it, the movement of her wrist was quick and imperceptible as she forced another sharp wind pressure. With every subtle hit the metal was slowly corroding from the inside.

"You can't run forever, little girl. You will tire eventually," he told her, almost as if he was trying to give her advice.

Fuuko wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand as she landed gracefully onto solid ground. "You should really stop worrying about me and start thinking about your next step." All she needed was a well placed hit.

The mace approached her again but this time she had no plans to avoid the oncoming attack. She bent her knees and anchored herself into the air and jumped head on against the ball. Her Fuujin hand curled itself into a tight fist and at the exact moment she had planned she threw forceful punch with help from her Madogou. Skin hit hard metal. Fuuko's smirk grew as she saw a tiny crack appear on the dark gray mace and began spreading like wildfire all around the ball.

She could feel the astonishment of her opponent, steaming from beneath his metal armor as tempered shards of metal shattered like a spherical bomb. She flipped her body away to avoid the residuals of the explosion she created.

Despite the pain in her body, Fuuko stood tall. She raised her right hand in challenge. Her mouth curled into an arrogant sneer. "Let's see how strong you are without that pesky mace of yours."

"I must commend you. You are far stronger than I expected."

She couldn't help the swell of pride in her chest.

"But now it is you who must not underestimate me."

In a flash, his claw-like armors lengthened like murderous pythons and stretched towards her. It took her a second too long to react as a sharp talon scraped a deep gash in the back of her left calf. The wound stung like a bitch and she lost her footing and fell on her knees. She immediately launched a whirlwind around her to block the subsequent attack she knew was coming.

The wall of her wind clanged against the steel talons that thirsted for her blood. The significant drop of oxygen caused by her whirlwind would not help with her depleting stamina. She stood up and prepared to move a different direction. She dropped her makeshift hiding place. He was just waiting for her.

Even using her full speed it was too late to avoid the onslaught. She was essentially trapped and all she could do was brace herself, conditioning her mind and body for the attack. After all, part of her training was knowing how to take a hit.

But the sharp claws never came. She heard roaring thunder mesh with the wind that seemed to react to her every emotion. Eyes crusted with dust, sweat and blood fluttered open. His back was turned to her but she would know those long purple locks anywhere.

"This one's off limits."

…

Kaoru Koganei is a genius. Or so he was told. When he was four years old, while his mother was too busy tending to the family's dimsum shop to mind him, she handed him a Rubik's cube to keep him occupied. He solved it in one minute. His mother thought it might've been a fluke, so she messed it up again and gave it back to him. He solved it in thirty seconds.

When he was five years old his parents died in a boating accident. The speedboat's motor leaked and in a second the boat went up in flames. He was watching with his grandmother from the shore. The next year his grandmother died from pneumonia. She was ninety-five years old and everyone wondered how she made it that far.

They shipped Kaoru off to an orphanage in the Nashikiri capital. They made him take lots of tests that he didn't care for. They said he got exceedingly high marks. They also said something about his extraordinary spatial skills. The next thing he knew he was moved out of the common rooms where all the other orphans stayed and into a rather nice duplex house. It only had two rooms, his bedroom and large training room.

A lady would come in to cook his meals and clean the house but they generally stayed out of his way. He went to school in the mornings to learn the basics of arithmetic, science and language but most of his education happened at the duplex house. After six months of staying there he was bestowed with his most prized possession, the Kogan Anki. Until he was eight, a member of Team Kuu by the name of Minamio helped him train, but really didn't do much in terms of helping him learn more of his Madogou. After that it was a boy named Saicho who was probably only six or seven years older than Koganei was. By the time he was ten years old he had discovered the five forms of Kogan Anki. They called him a prodigy.

He really wished he wasn't one right now.

The man in front of him introduced himself as Mokuren and then went on to christen himself as the greatest fighter to ever walk the planet, which only solidified Kaoru's opinion that he was a dickwad. A dickwad with severe hygiene problems. If the gross, stringy clops of hair wasn't enough of a clue, then the pungent smell of rotten food coming out of his mouth certainly did it. And Kaoru was standing ten feet away from him. Man, this sucked.

"I will enjoy devouring your flesh," the man said in his raspy voice that smelled of onion.

Kaoru shuddered. "You're gross."

He had a half a mind to call on Mikagami and feign a headache or a cold or something because seriously, this dude screamed pedophile but he didn't want the Ensui wielder to think he was weak.

"Your screams of terror will be music to my ears," Mokuren continued.

"Are you planning to talk me to death?" Kaoru deadpanned.

"The sweet taste of your blood will soon coat my tongue."

"Has anyone ever told you have issues?"

"I will tear your skin away from your muscle and wear it as a coat in the winter."

"I really think you should seek professional help."

"I will tear you apart from limb to limb and use your bony arms as a fishing pole."

"Okay, this is just getting ridiculous."

Kaoru rolled his eyes and leaped into the air, not bothering to switch from the first form of his Kogan Anki. The sharp blade glistened blindingly against the lowering sun. He flipped the weapon downwards, aiming the sharp end at Mokuren's unprotected chest.

Mokuren reached his hands upward as if to catch the incoming Kaoru. His yellowing nails turned the color of mud. His fingers began to morph together, twisting and entwining like tree barks and extending upwards the sky.

Kaoru flipped mid-air and avoided the attack easily, he propped his feet against arms that now looked like tree trunks and kicked against it to launch higher up in the air.

"Ryu!"

The Kogan Anki shifted into its second form that was much like a chain sickle. Holding on to its base, he controlled the blade on the other end of the chain towards Mokuren. The sharp sickle cut through his arms like it was paper. A sickening crackle erupted from Mokuren's arms as the Kogan Anki cut through his hands, right at the wrist. Blood mixed with pus and sap flowed out the broken appendage.

"I give! I give!" Mokuren cried out in pain. He looked at dismembered hands in horror, the blood still oozing from where it had broken off from his body.

"Loser," Kaoru muttered haughtily.

It was perhaps naivete, the nasty product of youth and inexperience that made him turn his back on the enemy, taking his word of surrender at face value. It was too late for Kaoru to learn the valuable lesson that in war, no one played fair. The earthy smell of wood attacked his nose before it clung to his form, trapping his body in a dark embrace.

…

Recca couldn't believe it. He ran. He fucking ran. What is this, a game of tag? He chased after his newly discovered brother, yelling his name to gain his attention. But Kurei just ignored him. They went past trees and boulders until they arrived upon a clearing that paved the path towards a familiar hilltop. Recca remembered it as a place he frequented with Domon and Fuuko when they got a bit sick of the usual city haunts. Kurei made a sudden stop and Recca followed, keeping a wary distance from his older sibling.

Kurei had his back to him; his head was angled upwards seemingly staring at the hill up ahead. His obsidian hair shone like black polish and his deep red cape was a stark contrast against the peaceful green landscape.

"I used to play on these grounds when I was younger." His voice was deep and melodic, as if every word that would come out of his mouth was made to form a sonnet.

Recca was unsure how to respond, or if he even should. But Kurei continued, as if he was unaware of his brother's presence but his words proved otherwise. "You look nothing like our father. You look very much like Miss Kagerou, your eyes and hers, they are the same. It makes me hate you less."

Recca fisted his hands. He had heard the story. His mother had told him. Fujimaro had confirmed it. It had replayed countless in his wakeful dreams. But it only now became real to him. It wasn't just a story, a production of myth. Kurei had lived that life.

"Tell me," Kurei's lyrical tone surrounded him, "how is she?"

A hint of bitterness coursed through his blood. "She's holding up well for someone who had just lost her husband."

The obvious resentment in Recca's voice bounced off against Kurei as if it was rubber. "Her husband was not a good man."

Recca's lips curled into a snarl. "Father loved you, to his last breath he loved you." His mind flashed a picture of his father's eyes that last night he saw them alive. They burned with sadness, regret and…resignation. He didn't understand it before but now he knew, Ouka went out without a fight. If his death was what would make Kurei feel peace then he gladly welcomed it. But it seemed it was all for naught, Kurei wanted more than his death. Kurei wanted the world.

An insane cackle erupted from Kurei, his shoulders shook with malevolent glee. "He had you fooled as well, Recca-kun," his name sounded like a curse coming from Kurei's lips, "That man, he opened my eyes to the truth."

Recca's thick, black eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Kurei did not bother to respond and silently declared the conversation over. He turned around slowly, the movement of his feet so smooth it looked as if he was gliding on ice. His blue flame sparked at the tip of his finger like an innocuous candle.

Recca's orange fire burst in his hand as if in reaction to Kurei. The dragons within him rattled to be released, smelling the deliciousness of the impending bloodbath. But he kept them at bay. He would have none of the foreign entities residing inside him intrude in this fight. It was going to be a battle of pure flame, brother against brother.

They moved at the same time and headed for each other at breakneck speed. Their enflamed fists met in a catastrophic punch. Blue and orange film twisted against each other and created fireworks in the air.

…

"Put her down or you'll regret it."

Tokiya arched an elegant eyebrow at the unkempt man in a dirty khaki trench coat who addressed him. "Is that so?" The heavy weight of the unconscious woman sagged against his shoulder.

"Don't test me, pretty boy."

Tokiya's left eye twitched at the condescending nickname. He did not fancy being called pretty in any capacity. "Whatever possessed you to think that I would take any orders from you?"

His yellow teeth peeked between ashen lips in a smirk before he cocked his head sideways. Four feet away from him stood a thick tree trunk. It was barren of leaves and looked misplaced in the clearing. Tokiya was quite certain it had not been there before. That's when he saw it, the slightest hint of a golden blade splintering from between the wooden bark.

Tokiya's face remained impassive but his heart was beating wildly against his chest. He stiffened his neck and stopped himself from looking around for any sign of Koganei knowing that the slightest distraction might bring about his demise. Koganei was his responsibility; he wanted to sock himself for his carelessness. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to the young boy.

"Mmm, the Kogan Anki wielder has delectable energy," the man said with a lick of his lips as if he were tasting the energy in his mouth.

Steel grey eyes squinted with disgust and horror. Tokiya could sense that this man was sucking Koganei's life force out. But how? He appeared to be using the Kodama, a Madogou that allowed its user to control plants. It would explain the tree sprouting from the earth. But there had to be a physical connection between the Kodama wielder and his creation for him to be able to use it to extract Koganei's energy. Tokiya's eyes searched his body and landed on his feet. An observant eye could immediately tell that his boots were missing its soles.

"Let Koganei go," Tokiya warned.

"So you can cut me down with that sword of yours? Not a chance," the man answered.

"I promise to do no such thing," Tokiya pronounced.

"Drop your weapon and hand me the girl, then I'll let him go," the Kodama wielder bargained.

The slightest glint of satisfaction went through Tokiya's eyes. He fell right for it. Tokiya made a show of stabbing his Ensui deep on the dry soil before callously letting the woman drop to the ground in front of him like a sack of potatoes.

"There, now you let Koganei go," Tokiya said.

The man eyed him suspiciously. "No, you come over here and bring her to me."

Tokiya looked at him impatiently as if the man was just wasting his time. "The woman's heavier than a barrel of wine. I prefer not to do manual labor."

He snarled at Tokiya. "Just bring her over here!"

Tokiya inspected his nails. "Like you said, she's your girl. You should come here and get her."

"I'm not going to fall for your juvenile tricks!"

Tokiya raised his hand up in the air. "There are no tricks here. I have no weapon on me, as you can see. Unless of course you're so weak that you cannot defend yourself against an unarmed…pretty boy."

His hackles rose at Tokiya's prodding. Tokiya smirked, the man was easier to read than a toddler's book, the slightest provocation and anyone can play him like clay.

"You insolent fool!"

The Kodama wielder launched his arms forward, willing it to extend and attack Tokiya. But then…nothing happened. "What? What's going on? Why is it cold?"

Tokiya smirked. "I don't know how, but your Kodama appears to be part of your body. A genius idea but it limited your control of the Madogou's powers through your limbs."

"What does that have to do with anything!"

"The tree that is trapping Koganei is connected to you through your feet. Do you feel the ice freezing your bones now?" Tokiya asked clinically.

The man began to form a curse word but could not control the chattering in his mouth. This young man had to be extremely advanced if he were able to control his Ensui without needing a physical connection to it.

"Figured it out, have you? Perhaps you are not as obtuse as I had initially thought," Tokiya taunted. "Still your mind moves very slowly. Perhaps it's the steroids coursing through your veins."

Tokiya casually strolled up to the Ensui and pulled it off it from where it stood. He held onto the hilt of the sword with both hands and lifted high above his head in the legendary stance of Hyomon Ken masters. His movements were both graceful and intense. He moved like lightning around the man an in a flash the enemy lay unconscious on the ground and the tree that held Koganei hostage was now nothing but scrap wood.

Tokiya caught Koganei in his arms. The boy was weakened his skin was pallid but Tokiya could hear his shallow but steady breaths.

Koganei's eyes fluttered open and stared at Tokiya dazedly. "Is it over?"

Tokiya could still hear battle cries and the clashing of weapons around him. He shook his head. "Will you be able to stand? I'm taking you back behind the war zone."

Shame filled Koganei's eyes but knew that trying to fight more would be suicide.

Tokiya gave the boy a kind smile. "You were very brave today, Koganei. Don't beat yourself up too much."

Koganei smiled back at him. Maybe Mikagami wasn't so bad.

Tokiya helped the younger boy to his feet. Using their jackets, they made a makeshift rope and tied up the man, who Koganei informed Mikagami was named Mokuren. Mikagami carried the woman on his shoulder and helped Koganei drag an unconscious Mokuren by his feet. Fighters had spread out all over the clearing, engaging in duels and it seemed they both managed to set a path away from the melee.

They had been twenty feet or so away from Nashikiri's army base when something caught Tokiya's senses. He stopped suddenly and turned around. Shock registered on his face, those movements, that form. He would recognize it anywhere; he knew it better than he knew himself. _"How is that possible?"_

"Mikagami?" Koganei questioned, his hand still holding on to Mokuren's feet.

Tokiya dropped the woman on his back hastily. He never removed his eyes from the vision that had enraptured him as he spoke to the Kogan Anki wielder. "Listen carefully, Koganei, we're only two minutes away from base. Go on and ask someone to assist you in bringing back the prisoners."

Koganei nodded his head at the strange request. "What about you though?"

"I have something I need to confirm."

And without explanation he was gone.

…

"You're bleeding."

Fuuko was suddenly jolted out of the shock of seeing him again when she was reminded of the searing pain on her side. "Thank you for the information, Captain Obvious," she mouthed petulantly. She tried to stand up but the slightest movement felt like her insides were warring to get out. She couldn't control the deep groan from coming out of her mouth.

"Don't try to exert yourself, you're injured," he said, in that kind, mellifluous tone. He kneeled in front of her and removed the cloth belt around his waist. He used it to bandage the deep wound on her calves.

"What are you doing Raiha? What were you thinking, intruding on my fight?" Fuuko questioned carefully. It was strange, but she knew Raiha would not hurt her, at least not physically,

"You speak to me as if I were a stranger, Fuuko-chan," he said as he ripped the cloth and proceeded to bandage the wound on her waist.

Fuuko glared at him as he invaded her personal space but let him proceed with taking care of her wounds "You are a stranger to me."

Raiha shook his head as if she were an impertinent child. "Gashakura is one of our strongest fighters. You're very skilled too, Fuuko-chan but he has many years on you. He would've crushed you."

"Isn't that what you would've wanted?" she retorted.

Raiha knotted the bandage and Fuuko winced at the feeling of the cloth biting into her skin. "You have to understand, Fuuko, although I am now Nashikiri's enemy, you are not mine."

"You might as well have killed Recca's father with your own hands," she bit out venomously.

There was no hint of regret or pain in Raiha's eyes at the mention of Ouka's death. "He is not as innocent as everyone paints him to be."

"And yet you're the one who betrayed his trust."

"I need to do it, Fuuko, there was no other way," he said resignedly.

"Why? Why'd you do it? We all trusted you! Recca looked up to you like a brother! You were family to me!" At that point Fuuko could no longer hold back the tears she was trying to suppress. Raiha was right there in front of her, as charming and as handsome as he had always been in her eyes. But to her it felt like he had died and lost forever to her.

There was a sad smile on his face as he looked up at her, his clear purple eyes seemingly searching her soul. "You know, how you love Recca. How you would do anything for him. How you hurt whenever he's hurt."

Fuuko bit her lip, hearing the words that not so long ago she had uttered to her best friend.

"Kurei, he's the same for me."

Any words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. In that moment, there was an understanding between them that may never repeat itself again in the future. They stood on different sides but they were the same, they would forever choose to stand by the ones they loved most.

A loud commotion burst the bubble they had created around themselves. It seemed everyone else around them had stopped moving too.

Raiha spotted it first. There in the sky, two flames burned brightly, shooting up from the far ground, blue and orange dancing closely together. The fight for dominance lasted only a second before both flames extinguished each other and all that was left was the smell of soot and black smoke.

_To be continued…_

End Notes: So, um I dunno. I hope that was okay? I'm not very good with action sequences so I hope it was at least entertaining.

Next chapter: We find out what Tokiya saw (sort of), what happened with Recca and Kurei and maybe some ToFuu. Hahahahha.

**Thanks so much for reading and please don't forget to review!**


	11. Nobody's Fault But Mine

**Disclaimer: FoR is not mine. Chapter title from Led Zeppelin.**

**Author's Notes: Sorry this took a while. I had some distractions. Next chapter should come out in one to two weeks. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It inspires me to keep going :)**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**Chapter Ten: Nobody's Fault But Mine**

It wasn't common knowledge but it shouldn't be such a surprise to know that flame casters had another providential ability other than creating fire out of thin air. They were also born with an exponentially high tolerance for fire. Their whole bodies could alight in a blaze and even the wispy edges of their hairs would remain unscathed.

And in one moment the universe decided to blindside both brothers. Kurei's blue flame touched the edges of Recca's knuckles and the most unfamiliar electric heat ran through the younger brother's skin.

The older brother didn't fare so well either. It wasn't so much the pain as it was the utter shock of feeling the heat of fire for the first time that caused him to stumble backwards. Kurei watched with detached fascination as his younger brother's orange flame climbed up the sleeve of his cloak, moving up his arms like a choreographed dance.

It must be nature's attempt at a joke that their very strength would be their one weakness.

The confusion in Recca's eyes was mirrored in Kurei's bright blue ones. Recca quickly dropped to the ground, trying to extinguish the burning flames that were steadily engulfing his body. The pain had seemed to go out but his vision had gone blurry and the only thing left was his sense of smell. And all he could scent was the pungent smell of charred skin.

His vision tunneled and right before he blacked out, Recca caught a glimpse of purple and wondered if he'd ever wake up again.

…

It had to be a coincidence.

Tokiya watched as the figure in black escaped his sights with such lithe and calculated movements. The build and the height were the exact same and the movements could not be anyone else's but it just did not make any sense.

There was chaos around him as both enemy and ally yelled at each other commands of pulling back but Tokiya remained standing where he was like a mindless statue, the picture of a man handling a sword in too familiar a manner playing in his head.

Tokiya felt someone grab his arm and he recognized the boy from one of his classes. He barely registered what exactly he said but got the general idea. They raced back towards the military camps but the vision of Tokiya's master, expertly piercing the heart of one of his comrade's continued to haunt his head.

…

Fuuko sat on the edge of the lumpy hospital bed. The paleness of her legs blended into the stark white sheets and she was enclosed behind a thick fabric of curtains. They had relegated her to one of the more private cubicles of the emergency room, no doubt because of who her father was, but she could still the chaotic susurrus outside of doctors and nurses healing soldiers and the occasional wailing of a relatives and loved ones as they searched for their family members in the heap of the wounded and the casualties.

They had given her a pair of gym shorts that were two sizes too big for her and a clean shirt although it did nothing to make her forget the deep wound running on her side. She had needed eight stitches although she couldn't remember when or how they did that. Everything had been a blur, the last thing she could remember was seeing Recca on the ground being swallowed whole by flames. It was as if she went on auto-pilot, simultaneously screaming for back up as she tried herself to extinguish the fire that was slowly killing her best friend. And the next thing she knew she was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, listening to her brother Eisen as he told her to stay put and not to worry about Recca.

"Fuuko!"

She heard the desperate cry of her name right before the curtains swooshed sideways revealing a disheveled Tokiya Mikagami still in his school uniform. She hadn't had the time to even study his form before she was wrapped in his arms so tightly that she couldn't stop herself from yelping in pain as his hands dug in to her bandages.

"Shit, where are you hurt?" he asked apologetically as his hands ghosted over her form, inspecting her with his eyes.

Fuuko put a hand gently over the side of her stomach. "It's not so bad. It just stings a little."

Tokiya looked at her disbelievingly.

She bit her lip and gave him an impish smile. "The pain was worse that first time we…you know." She reddened like a tomato and realized that she was just not ready yet to make jokes about sex.

He shook his head and chuckled softly at her attempt to lighten up the mood. He put his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her softly before resting his forehead against hers.

"I've been looking for you for the last two hours and no one could tell me where you were. I was so worried," he whispered. His hot breath near her skin had the effect of calming her frazzled nerves.

"I'm so sorry, I wanted to look for you but my Dad wouldn't let me out of his sight," she tried to explain. She placed her hands over his and moved it down to her hips so that she could have a better look at him. "Are you okay? Have you had a doctor look over you?"

Tokiya shook his head. "It's alright though, I'm fine."

She couldn't help the look of awe and the feeling of pride for him. "No scratches at all, huh?"

He took one step closer to her so their bodies were flushed close together. "I'm not sure if you've heard this, but I'm probably the best swordsman of our generation."

Fuuko giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him loosely, careful not to put pressure on her wound. She buried her nose in the crook of her neck, loving the manly scent of his sweat. "Stay with me for a while?"

"I don't plan on going anywhere," he promised as he kissed her hair.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Fuuko and Tokiya sprung apart immediately, an obvious guilty flush on their faces.

"Nothing, we were just…just talking," Fuuko stuttered out.

Eisen Kirisawa arched an eyebrow at his sister. He was neither dumb nor blind. He recognized Tokiya from earlier and knew him as the man who had broken the engagement with Yanagi. In hindsight, he should've at least thought it odd the way Tokiya had so familiarly stuck close to his sister earlier and the less than subdued heat in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

Eisen had rushed back to his sister the moment he had heard of Recca's current state and expecting to find her alone and doing something embarrassing like picking her nose. Instead he was greeted with the sight of Fuuko wrapped in too intimate an embrace by a boy that was by default the enemy (even if he didn't like Aunt Jun all that much, he was still fond of Yanagi). The big brother instinct made him want to pummel the Ensui master on sight but now was neither the time nor place. Besides, he doubted Fuuko would stand for that.

He pushed his personal feelings aside and opened his mouth.

"Recca's awake."

…

Kagerou had the façade of impenetrability as she watched over her son. Recca's entire right arm was wrapped up in bandages that stretched across his shoulders. His face still had burn marks that were yet to subside and his skin was pallid and cold to the touch. He was deep in sleep, rendered unconscious by the pain medication the doctors had administered. She could still hear his cries of pain as the doctors cut off the sleeve of his uniform jacket which had clung to his damaged skin. It seemed like he was screaming for hours and all she could do was hold his unhurt hand as she tried to hold back her tears, whispering words of love and encouragement to her little boy.

Kagerou shut her eyes tightly as the moisture of her tears blinked past her eyelashes. The steady beep of the heart monitor gave her little comfort. It was a most cruel punishment to have a mother watch her child skirt death.

"Kagerou, we will need to do something."

Her eyes never left her son's face, as if she was afraid he would cease to breathe if she did so, as she spoke. "I realize that. But I cannot seem to think of anything else but my son's health."

Fujimaro sighed as he carefully shut the door behind him and walked up beside the Hanabishi matriarch. "In Kurei's eyes, Recca is the one person standing in his way. The people still see him as the rightful heir to the throne, eliminating him would be Kurei's number one priority. He caught a lucky break, no one had expected that their powers would negate each other's and fire back on both of them. But Kurei is smart, always had been, and is probably already coming up with a plan to work around this obstacle. As he stands now, Recca would have no chance against his half-brother."

Kagerou winced at the certainty of Fujimaro's assessment. But she knew that he had Recca's and Nashikiri's best interest at heart. "What do you suggest, General?"

"We need to send him to the Godfather. He is the only one qualified to finish Recca's training, which Ouka couldn't continue. And he could protect Recca from Kurei until he is ready, not to mention that Kurei would have no way of knowing the Godfather's very existence," Fujimaro said in one breath.

She bit her lip in consternation. She wanted nothing more than to keep Recca at her side and whisk away from all this chaos. But she knew that her son had a duty to the people, one that he values more than his life and like his father before him, he would never run away from a fight. "Prepare the caravan. Make sure that my son gets there safely."

With his orders in place, Fujimaro exited the room swiftly, giving the mother and son a few more quiet moments before they had to part ways.

…

Raiha lifted Kurei's left hand and held it against his lips. Kurei had been livid as he heard Raiha bark orders for their army to retreat. Even under great duress, Kurei had his eye on the prize. But Raiha would not let his friend intimidate him into submission. He may be the leader of this revolt but Raiha still played by his own rules. Kurei's greatest goal was to take over Nashikiri, but Raiha's only reason for being here at all was Kurei. Even if it meant earning the ire of the blue-eyed man, Raiha would do everything to make sure he was alive and well.

Raiha could still remember that day back in school when he could not find Kurei anywhere and no one had known what had happened to him. No one seemed to care but him. When he went to their home and found the shack burned to a crisp, he had been hysterical. For weeks, he had been inconsolable, desperate to find any news on Kurei and if he was okay and well.

A month after Kurei's inexplicable disappearance, Raiha received a letter in the mail. It had no return address, save for a foreign name that he remembered was the title of one of Kurei's favorite books that he had always carried with him. He ripped the yellowing envelope open, his heart beating wildly in anticipation.

Kurei relayed to him a story that he now knew was complete hogwash, not wanting to burden him with his problems. The neat writing could not disguise the utter desperation that his friend must have been feeling at the time. He could still remember the last words Kurei wrote in that letter. 'I miss you, Raiha-kun. I'm all alone now.' It had broken his heart, knowing Kurei was out there alone and there was nothing he could do.

Throughout the years his and Kurei's friendship deepened, even with just the exchange of letters. When Raiha turned eighteen he had asked his parents if he could take a vacation in the Americas the summer before he was to start military academy. It was there that Raiha saw Kurei for the first time after almost seven years of separation. It was there that he learned the truth about Kurei's true ancestry, about Ouka and about Reina's death. There was never a question in his mind; he loved Kurei above anything and anyone else.

"Why did you stop me?" Kurei's voice croaked out, his piercing blue eyes looking steadily at the purple haired man that stood at his bedside unfailingly.

Raiha gave him a soft smile and placed a gentle kiss against his palm. "I could not continue without you."

Kurei scoffed even as he winced as he felt the bandages dig in to his skin. "You're awfully sentimental, Raiha-kun. This is war."

The loyal ninja shook his head and carefully settled himself on the bed, sitting near Kurei's hip. "This is your war, that is true. Your cause is your own. My cause has always been you."

Kurei couldn't help the rare smile that graced his lips. "You're still a fool," he admonished, but the softness of his tone belied his true feelings. "A fool that I would exchange for no other."

….

Fuuko kept up with Tokiya and Eisen, even with her injury, as they rushed up the staircase of Nashikiri General Hospital. The intensive care unit was on the third floor and she had considered kindly requesting they use the elevator but her ego got the better of her.

She huffed as they reached the final landing. The moment they turned down the hallway, the trio was met by Shuichi Kirisawa.

"Where's Recca?" she blurted out immediately.

"He's no longer with us."

Fuuko let out an audible gasp as her hand rose to clutch her chest.

"Christ, Shuichi, you want to give your sister a heart attack?" Fujimaro appeared beside his eldest son and smacked him upside the head. He turned to his only daughter and said, "Recca's fine and stable but he has been moved to a safer location."

Fuuko sighed in relief. "Well, where? I want to go see him."

The general shook his head. "I'm sorry, princess, I'm afraid I can't tell you. That's classified information."

"But I'm his best friend!" she cried out petulantly, short of stomping her foot on the ground.

"And this is a matter of national security. But I assure you he is alive and safe. You will just have to wait to see him again," he answered sternly.

Fuuko pouted but knew there was no point in arguing with her father.

Her father turned his eyes towards Tokiya, as if he'd just been made aware of the Ensui master's presence. "And what is your business here?"

"Dad! Don't be rude," Fuuko cried out in protest.

He stopped her with a steely gaze before focusing once more on Tokiya.

Tokiya gulped, feeling rather intimidated by the general's seeming distaste for him. It seemed as if Fuuko's father was inspecting him from head to toe and trying to delve into his mind. If he could read minds, Tokiya might not live to see the next second. "I was seeing how Fuuko was, sir."

"Shouldn't you be at home with your parents? You don't look like you need to be attended to in a hospital," Fujimaro questioned.

"I live alone, sir. My parents are an airplane ride away."

"Are you being smart with me, boy?"

Tokiya bit the inside of his cheek. "No, sir."

Fujimaro lifted a thick eyebrow and eyed Tokiya once again from head to toe. "Eisen, take Fuuko home if the doctors have dismissed her. Drop this one off too," he said, cocking his head towards Tokiya.

"But…"

"No buts young lady," Fujimaro interrupted without thought. "I'll see you at home."

With that he turned on his heel and left his children and Tokiya to fend for themselves.

"Well, you heard the old man, let's go," Eisen immediately ordered. Fuuko could do nothing but follow him.

…

The car ride had been awkward. For some reason, Eisen wasn't his usual clownish self. His eyes remained on the road and not even a curse word another vehicle cut him came out of his mouth. He had insisted Fuuko sit in the back beside Tokiya, as if daring them to do something suspicious in his presence.

When they had dropped off Tokiya at his rather posh apartment building, Eisen watched them closely from the rearview mirror. Just to spite him, Fuuko leaned over and gave Tokiya a kiss on the cheek and bid him farewell softly. Her boyfriend, for his part, looked like he'd just been given the death sentence as he scrambled away from the car.

They had been on the road not more than five minutes when Eisen spoke up. "Tell me what's really going on between you and that guy, Fuuko."

"We're friends," she returned quickly.

"I know you're lying so you might as well give up now."

"I am not!" she cried defensively.

"Your right eye twitches whenever you're lying, squirt," Eisen returned with a smug grin.

Fuuko's hand immediately flew to her right eye. "It's not twitching."

"And I'm the Queen of England," he returned sardonically. He stopped at the side of the road and put the car on park. "Fuck it, Fuuko. You're seriously getting involved with him? Have you forgotten that Yanagi's our cousin?" he admonished, still looking at her from the rearview mirror.

Fuuko shifted in her seat guiltily and averted her eyes.

Eisen laughed hollowly. "Oh, I get it. You're the reason he broke up with her. Is that it? He tell you some bullshit about how he loves you and not her?"

Fuuko flushed with anger. "Shut up, Eisen! Don't talk to me like I'm some stupid slag!"

"Shit, you had sex with him, didn't you?" he said knowingly. He punched the steering wheel in frustration, torn between wanting to kill the asshole and wringing his sister's neck. He was a man and he knew how guy's minds work. It made him squeamish to admit it, but he knew Fuuko was a looker. She may not have Yanagi's beauty queen good looks but Fuuko was exactly the kind of girl boys that age lusted after. Obviously, this Tokiya character wasn't any different. Tokiya was good looking, rich and seemed to have an ego the size of Mt. Fuji, he'd be the type to want someone like Fuuko in his bed. He just didn't want to see his sister hurt.

"Eisen, I'm not dumb, I know what I'm doing. I trust him," Fuuko said pleadingly.

Eisen turned around to face his sister. "Fuuko, you realize what he did to Yanagi, right? They've been engaged forever and he drops her just like that. What makes you think he can't do the same thing to you?"

"I know he won't."

And he could tell she truly believed what she was saying.

"I'm going to tell Dad about this, you realize that?" Snitching, especially about his siblings, was something Eisen found abhorrent. But this was different; he didn't want to see this get worse. And he knew their father could put a stop to this.

"Don't please," she asked, hands squeezing his shoulders painfully. "I'll tell him, okay, just give me some time."

He could never say no to her when he gave her those innocent, puppy dog eyes. "A week, that's all I'm giving you."

Fuuko smiled up at him gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered. "He's not bad, Eisen. I…I think I'm in love with him."

Eisen couldn't help but grin at his sister. "It's always love at seventeen, Fuuko."

…

Fuuko stood in front of the floor length mirror in her bathroom. Her bathrobe hung open exposing her in nothing but a pair of pink panties. She inspected the cuts and bruises on her body and worried about how they would leave a permanent scar on her body, then she berated herself for being such a girl about it. Well, she thought again, she was a girl. She can tough it out better than any man out there but she had always been a bit vain about her skin. She knew she had a better body than most girls and it was complimented by her luminous and flawless porcelain skin. That wouldn't be the case for long.

The dermatologist had given her an ointment that would help flatten out the scars as her wounds heal but she knew it would never go back to the way it was. But she wouldn't take anything back. These were her battle scars, proof that she was a capable ninja and that she helped defend her country and her people. She sighed and tied the belt of her robe loosely.

When she turned around she almost screamed at the person that greeted her by the door.

"Fuck, Mi-chan, you scared me to death!" she said in a whispered scream. "How long have you been standing there?"

He grinned mischievously. "Long enough."

"Perv," she muttered under her breath. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

It suddenly occurred to her that he was standing inside her bathroom. She hurriedly pushed past him and into her room and made sure her door was locked.

"I climbed the trellis outside your window," he explained when she turned back around to face him.

"How'd you get past the guards?" she asked.

"Yeah, you might want to tell your father that your security detail's a bit inept," he said cheekily.

"And how do you propose I tell him how I found out about that?" she said sarcastically.

Tokiya looked at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Well, why did you come here?" She knew she was being a bit unfair to him but she had been on edge since her talk with Eisen and he was the unwitting recipient of her frustration.

He walked up to her wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see you."

Her expression softened at his words. "I missed you too."

He bent his head down and kissed her lips. Her arms reached up to tangle in his hair. His lips glided savagely over hers as his tongue invaded her mouth with wild abandon. There was something desperate in the way he kissed her, as if he was afraid he would never have a chance to do so again.

Both breathed heavily when they parted, foreheads leaning against each other as they stood against the moonlight.

"Your brother knows something," he said surely.

Wide purple eyes looked up at him curiously.

"He was looking at me earlier as if he wanted to skewer my balls," he explained with a bit of humor.

"He talked to me earlier," she said, eyes focused on the buttons of his shirt.

He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"

She shook her head. "Never."

"When you tell them, I'll be with you," he promised.

Her lips quirked into a smile. "That might not be the best idea you've ever had. They're very protective."

"I don't care. We're in this together," he assured her.

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. "You always know the right words to say, don't you? You can make a girl agree to anything."

He pulled her flush against him. "I highly doubt that. Otherwise we'd both be naked by now."

Fuuko punched his arm lightly. "Perv."

Tokiya's eyes roamed around the room. He hadn't paid much attention to how it looked when he first went in through the window. He'd been distracted by the sight of Fuuko staring at her half-naked form in front of the mirror.

"Your room is pink," he said incredulously.

She laughed at his words. "My mom was the one who picked the colors and everything else. I think she got a bit excited when she found out she was having a girl." She bit her lip at the memory of her mother. "I didn't want to change anything. It's one of the few things I have left of her."

Tokiya tucked her hair behind her ears. "I bet your mother's as beautiful as you are."

Fuuko nodded, a picture of her mother flitting inside her head. "She was very beautiful."

"Do you want to talk about her?" he offered.

She shook her head. "Someday I'm going to tell you all about her, but not now. I'm kind of tired."

His expression changed to one of worry. "Right, you should rest. You should've told me earlier."

Fuuko grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bed. "You can sleep here if you want."

He looked a bit constipated.

She chuckled at his expression. "No one's home. Eisen left shortly after he dropped me off. Dad called and said they won't be back until tomorrow afternoon." She paused and gazed up at him. "And I just really want you near me."

Tokiya caressed her cheeks with his knuckles. "Then I'll be glad to stay."

Fuuko slipped under the covers as he shed off his clothes, leaving him in just boxers. He turned off the lights and settled beside her, their heads facing each other. His hot breath fanned over her face as they studied each other's faces, swathes of moonlight highlighting their features.

He knew she wanted feel some intimacy but he didn't dare make the first move. He didn't want her to feel as if he just came to her because of that. Three minutes passed, and yes he was counting, before she leaned up and kissed him.

Tokiya let her take the lead, letting her know that she had complete control of how far she wanted to go. Her hands snaked around his neck as she lied flat on her back, pulling him to settle over her body. He let his weight rest on top of her, mindful of her injuries. Their tongues danced together, reveling in each other's sweetness. Her hand guided his towards the knot of her belt and he groaned at the insinuation.

He untied her robe and pushed the terry cloth apart. His hands traveled up her sides, wincing as he came in contact with her bandages, before finally settling over her breasts. He massaged her tits and swallowed the pleasurable moans coming from her mouth.

Tokiya moved down, placing wet kisses along the column of her throat. He left love bites on the top of her breasts before placing a kiss on the tip of each mound. He sucked her nipples hungrily, her breathy moans were like music to his ears. After he paid homage to her tits, he shifted down once more until he was faced with the bandages around her stomach.

His fingers caressed the white cloth lightly before he placed a tender kiss over her stomach. "How'd you get this?"

She sighed heavily. She placed an arm on her forehead while her other hand played with the fringe of his hair. "My enemy. He had a mace. I made a wrong turn and one of the spikes slashed me."

He pillowed his head over her breasts. "You hurt him?"

She smiled ruefully. "I destroyed his mace."

"When you see him again, you're going to crush him. Or I will, if you don't mind," he said.

"So chivalrous," she teased.

"You're my girl. I don't like to see you hurt," he said seriously.

"Are you sure you're talking to the right girl? You know I hate being patronized," she chided.

He reached up to cup one of her breasts, squeezing it before playing with her nipple. In an odd way, it wasn't sexual at all, just comforting. "You can't stop me from feeling that way, though."

"Well, you're going to have to resist your baser instincts. I plan on getting him back for this myself," she told him with a teasing voice but he knew her words were serious.

"I'll be cheering you from the sidelines."

They smiled at each other in understanding. It scared her sometimes, how quickly she had fallen in love with him. But at this exact moment, she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Something else is bothering you." His words weren't a question. It was surprising how easily he could read her.

She nodded. Her index finger traced the contours of his face as she spoke. "I'm worried about Recca."

"Your father said he was fine," he reminded her.

"I know. I just really wish I could see him for myself. I don't know if you can understand, but he's…he's more than just my best friend."

"Should I be worried?" he said, arching an eyebrow.

She giggled. "No, silly. He's family. I worry about him so much."

Tokiya moved over her, his elbows beside her ear as he cocooned her with his body. "I'm sure he's really worried about you, too. But you should trust your father when he says that Recca is alive and safe."

"I just need to see him, if I could just see him or just talk to him, I wouldn't worry so much," she insisted.

Tokiya sighed, knowing how stubborn and obstinate she could get. "Maybe you could try to talk to your father tomorrow. I'm sure your father knows where he is. Right now what you need is a good night's rest."

Fuuko nodded.

"I'm glad you're here."

Tokiya kissed her before lying down beside her once more. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her head under his chin. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

_To be continued…_

**A/N:** So much fluff! Whee! I love writing Raiha/Kurei, haha. Next chapter, Fuuko scheming, Domon moping and Tokiya perving. Hahahahha. And plot moving forward and such.

Also, I wrote another ToFuu fic called 'Not Dating'. Give it some love!

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


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